how to avoid surveillance on office network?

[Ivan Svabo]

I work in large firm which have its own informatical sector. All comps r conected over LAN. Now, all comps have installed "remote control agent". I dont like that at all...
now, one day some guy form LAN sector comes to my office and asked me where did i find on network some directory called "allforall". There havent been a chance that he could known that i have been in that directory unless theres a log of users that download/upload/visit other comps over the network, or he can see what i do on comp all the time. In either way i dont like that he can know what i do with my comp or over the network.
Now, I'm asking, how can i make my surfing over the office network more private? How can i mask my entrance to other comps on work? How can make them think that i'm doing nothing with comp while i do what ever i want? Nothing fancy, just that he cant see what i do with my comp... it there program for it or something? Or program to see who is accessing my comp?
And yes, solution must not attract attention!!! (something like disabling remote control acces would attract attention...)
My OS is Win 2000

 

[Nodsu]

Ethernet is tranparent.
TCP/IP is transparent.
Networking solutions like Windws Networking are transparent and completely monitorable on the server side.

Unless you are going to install special client/server software on the computers you use (like SSH or other encrypting programs) all your application level activity can be seen.

Spoofing you activities on transport (TCP/IP) or network (ethernet) level is possible to some degree but it will be very messy and difficult to implement. Plus you'd need some very customisable environment like Linux and some serious networking knowledge.

If you have administrative privileges, you can disable the remote control service in Administrative Tools->Services.

And, unless your IT department consists of complete morons, any of your evasive tactics will be noticed.

One does not have to have access to your computer or to the computer on the other side to see what you two are doing over the network (see the transparency statements above).

 

[Phantasm66]

In any case, even if you have admin rights over your own office machine, you are still probably using a proxy server, which is recording all of the internet sites that you look at.

 

[Ivan Svabo]

One does not have to have access to your computer or to the computer on the other side to see what you two are doing over the network

i meant that they can see what i'm doing only on my comp, not over the network, like if i load winamp that they can see it...
so theres no way to be unnoticed? deamn...
one thing bothers me too: when i boot comp, on the very beginning of loading win gui when the system tray isnt booted jet (sec or two), some application or command starts (looks like minimized command prompt) and all i can see in that loading is name "\\backup-pro\netlo...." cause it doesnt have maximize caommand
good thing is that mouse is on in that period so i can kill it, but i'm not certan that it is killed or that it didnt finish its job even so if i killed it... so, does anyone knows what that could be?
anyway, guys from IT department know their job, but i think that they rn't some total experts when they hold me for a threat. i think they r "scared" cause i know how to search sutff over network (it sounds funny, but ppl in my firm doesnt use network that much... 80% of firm doesnt even know that they dont have to run around with floppy disks... rednecks...).

 

[StormBringer]

You might want to check out company policy regarding all this. Sounds to me like you have been accessing things they don't want you to access. If they have a policy covering this, you might be violating that. I'm not sure how things of this nature vary from place to place, or if all it takes is a policy to cover it, but I know people who have lost their jobs for trying to bypass monitoring utilities used by their company to keep tabs on employee activities.

 

[Ivan Svabo]

well, im not 100% sure that it is torelable by firm policy, but i didnt and wont do anything illegal like hacking comps. while surfing through LAN i search mp3, divx and such, and i'm searching them in shared dirs (ppl use to put those kind of stuff in share dirs). alltrough im accesing other comps without direct verbal persmission of their owner, im accessing shared dirs and that cant be illegal, can it? i mean, their mistake for puting stuff in wrong place...
but i want anonymity while doing that cause my job isnt to download mp3, divx and such from other ppls comps
i dont need internet anonymity cause we allready have restrictions on all kind of sites. practicly we can only go on mail and few other "normal" kind of sites.
so, i need cover for transaction btw my comp and comp of my friend on upper floor which have dvd writer, and such "work related" stuff
i would buy usb memory stick but it is still deamn to expensive to me so masking my work is more sutable...
what about programs with i can monitor acces to my comp? does anyone know any good user frendly that can show which com is accessing mine and why

 

[young&wild]

Shared directories are designated for the use of everyone. It would be someone's fault to store confidential files on them. So its not your fault if you gain access to them IMHO.

 

[Nodsu]

The program running at startup is probably your domain logon script, it can run whatever it wants. It is defined on the domain controller for every user, nothing you can do about it besides not logging in to domain.

If you want so see if someone is watching your computer over the network, look at the remote control software setup, perhaps you can enable some indication from there. Or get a packet sniffer end decrypt network traffing through your computer.

You cannot have anonymity while using Windows shared folders.

 

[ChaoticDude]

At my workplace, anything and everything we do is monitored. Anything that is not strictly related to business is subject to immediate termination. My assumption is that if the IT guys are asking you where/how/what/why you were doing in a shared folder on a network is that you shouldn't be doing that. Also, if there are .Mp3 files actually located ON the network, any DivX files, movies, downloaded DVDs, etc -- That also can be subject to immediate termination because you are then putting your employer at risk for 'allowing' the employees to download illegal copies of whatever might be there and storing it on a business network. My suggestion to you is to not even worry about the monitoring software, stay off the network and don't look in anything that should not be looked at. You most definately do not want to put yourself in a situation where you could lose your job. Also you said that your IT guys aren't *****s -- Keep in mind also that if they asked you how you got into that information they are most likely going to be actively monitoring your machine specificaly to make sure you don't violate any policies. I don't know the policies of your company -- Just beware. I'd stay out of it.

 

[Ivan Svabo]

Originally posted by ChaoticDude
At my workplace, anything and everything we do is monitored. Anything that is not strictly related to business is subject to immediate termination. My assumption is that if the IT guys are asking you where/how/what/why you were doing in a shared folder on a network is that you shouldn't be doing that. Also, if there are .Mp3 files actually located ON the network, any DivX files, movies, downloaded DVDs, etc -- That also can be subject to immediate termination because you are then putting your employer at risk for 'allowing' the employees to download illegal copies of whatever might be there and storing it on a business network. My suggestion to you is to not even worry about the monitoring software, stay off the network and don't look in anything that should not be looked at. You most definately do not want to put yourself in a situation where you could lose your job. Also you said that your IT guys aren't *****s -- Keep in mind also that if they asked you how you got into that information they are most likely going to be actively monitoring your machine specificaly to make sure you don't violate any policies. I don't know the policies of your company -- Just beware. I'd stay out of it.

I agree with u, but theres one thing: they also use net for download of mp3 and divx so they r as guilty as I am. but, i think that i'm torn in their eye cause i know what they can and do with net and LAN. Rare ppl in firm knows what is divx so whatever they do with lan no one takes in interest except me. They r on top of net control so they can do what ever they want. I only want a scrubs of that cake and as it seams they wont give as that little to me. it is silent war and i wont loose my job cause of that kind of transactions, not jet, it is still goverment firm and ppl rnt fired so easly, and ppl from firm r allmost related (they work together for 40 yhrs.; IT guys and me r few of younger generations so it is fight of interest...
but dont take me wrong: i cant do what ever i want. thats why i want something to protect my self from them like LAN monitor with which one i could ban someone from accesing my comp. I want to make situation that they must come to my office and ask me to do something with my comp and not accessing it secretly. and if it is possible to mask my work over LAN (and as u ppl say, it isnt posible that easy)

 

[young&wild]

Well lets just face it, there should not be a problem for your employee to monitor your internet/ network activites besides they are paying for the internet bills right? If yes, they have the rights to monitor you, besides its their property you are using. You should be alright as long as you follow the company policy, if unsure, consult your IT people. They should be able to inform you approriately.

 

[Ivan Svabo]

well, it is true, but i wasnt wrote this post to say that my firm has right to see what am i doing over network...
point is that i dont want to be seen... and i'm asking help for it. it wont be used for anything wrong, just that it wont have anything to do with work...
now i open my comp and attach another hdd which i have from home to copy stuff downloaded from net or other comps. only risk is that someone from IT could come to my room while i'm doing that and then i'm busted. from now on, they will come more often as i'm intresting in their eyes... with masked traffic over the LAN i could send stuff to other comp of my friend which have dvd writer nad i can do everything without voiding any rule...

 

[young&wild]

Originally posted by Ivan Svabo

The point is this, does your company policy allow you to use your PC for personal purposes? If no, the best thing is to stay off and stop this file transfering thing. My advice is that attempting to block the IT blokes from monitoring you will cause trouble on your part. You are already voiding the rule in the process of doing this.

 

[StormBringer]

Very good point young!

Ivan, by trying to block the monitoring of your system, you are going to cause yourself more trouble. You might get a warning for using the computer for personal stuff, they might just tell you to stop doing it or something, but if you try to block them from seeing what you are doing, they will notice this and will probably fire you on the spot.

Moral of this story: When you are at work, WORK, thats what they pay you to do. Wait till you get home to play, chat, dowload illegal materials, plot world domination with your friend Pinky, or whatever it is you don't want them seeing.