IT Hints...Please Add Your Best Tips

[Prof]

"Ever find yourself sitting in front of a computer that's been locked down by an overzealous IT administrator who won't let you install any software or even open Internet Explorer or Firefox? If that PC is running Windows XP, there's a good chance you can still visit Download Squad (or other sites if that sort of thing appeals to you).

All you have to do is launch a Windows application like Calculator, and then click the Help button. Under Help, click "Help Topics," which will bring up a help window. Next, all you have to do is right click on the title bar and select "Jump To URL." Now you can type in any web address you like, but make sure to include "http://" at the beginning. Basically what you're looking at is Internet Explorer 6 inside a help window, but this version of the program isn't quite as smart as IE6. It won't automatically add the http:// for you. And of course, there's no bookmarking feature."


I love getting around barriers...

Source: Foxfire Stumble Upon! Thanks again Scott for opening this whole new world for me!

 

[Silverback]

Did your wife lock up your computer on you again?

What was it this time. Porn, or were you looking at pictures of red meat?:dontknow:

 

[Prof]

Pics of '08 Vipers...

She has said no...that may be the end of my dream...

 

[SRT-IZ]

What if my CPU is being monitored....Will that get around it?

 

[Black1]

What if my CPU is being monitored....Will that get around it?

It will just show that you are in a Help Topic. :dontknow:

 

[SRT-IZ]

It will just show that you are in a Help Topic. :dontknow:

AAH!! YEA!!! Now the grave yard shift wont be as boring!!

Thanks!!:rock:

 

[BigRed460]

What if my CPU is being monitored....Will that get around it?

In school we used https:// to get around being watched...

 

[azpyroguy]

What if my CPU is being monitored....Will that get around it?

Nope... we can see everything you do... I lock down networks for a living..I dont create the policy I only enforce it... believe if its been tried, I have seen it.

I can even replay everything you did on a webpage, every key you typed, link you clicked on, how long you spent on the site, etc...

About 10 years ago I was up in Seattle working and the company hired me to lock down the machines on the "customer service" floor because employees were using the internet for excessive non-business use, and productivity was in the toilet....

So I did what they asked, and then I noticed in the logs that someone was still accessing the internet.. so I fired up a "carbon copy type" session (a shadow of his machine, without him knowing I was their watching), and watched him do it...

He went into Windows Help, typed in Internet Explorer, and wala it provided him a link to start a stripped down copy of IE...

I showed it to managment... and commented that I was impressed on how resourcefull he was, and asked them what they would like me to do....

They said we are going to terminate him for violation of company policy, and for purposely undoing security controls.... so we walked over to his desk, we had security monitor the situation.... as he was walked off the site.

 

[azpyroguy]

In school we used https:// to get around being watched...

Not with SSL caching decoders like the Secure Computing WebWasher... its breaks the SSL chain, and logs the content, and then re-encrpys it on the other side.

 

[azpyroguy]

It will just show that you are in a Help Topic. :dontknow:

Not if they are monitoring the firewalls, and/or webfilters...

 

[ntw0rk]

Not if they are monitoring the firewalls, and/or webfilters...

That's what I was going to say...

 

[azpyroguy]

All I am saying is... be carefull man on what you do.... companies now-a-days are just looking for ways to fire people....believe me I have been involved in several situations where I knew a good friends and co-workers that was getting canned for something stupid, and becuase I was the security engineer I could not say a word about it....

 

[Prof]

All I am saying is... be carefull man on what you do....

This is the best advice.

Some companies can and do review every key stroke you make.

It is just not worth the risk.

On the other hand, some companies are a little more forgiving...

While everything on your disk at work can be reviewed...I wrote a policy that said that if an individual wanted to have a personal folder, for things like resumes, personal data, etc. they could construct one with their first and last name and add the word personal. The policy said that the only time that folder would be reviewed would be at the request of law enforcement...

But that is very different from accessing sites on company equipment on company time.

 

[Techsound]

you are right, we can see anything and everything you do... What you are able to do depends on how good/bad the Admin is.

Nope... we can see everything you do... I lock down networks for a living..I dont create the policy I only enforce it... believe if its been tried, I have seen it.

I can even replay everything you did on a webpage, every key you typed, link you clicked on, how long you spent on the site, etc...

About 10 years ago I was up in Seattle working and the company hired me to lock down the machines on the "customer service" floor because employees were using the internet for excessive non-business use, and productivity was in the toilet....

So I did what they asked, and then I noticed in the logs that someone was still accessing the internet.. so I fired up a "carbon copy type" session (a shadow of his machine, without him knowing I was their watching), and watched him do it...

He went into Windows Help, typed in Internet Explorer, and wala it provided him a link to start a stripped down copy of IE...

I showed it to managment... and commented that I was impressed on how resourcefull he was, and asked them what they would like me to do....

They said we are going to terminate him for violation of company policy, and for purposely undoing security controls.... so we walked over to his desk, we had security monitor the situation.... as he was walked off the site.