Can a server at work monitor websites visited?

Collabora

melbury wrote: »

So can they actually monitor exactly each and every thing that you are looking at on a particular site and how long you are on it for?

yes and if inclined they can read all your emails.

Just think of it this way.

Who's PC is it?
It belongs to your employer, so they can do with it what they want. Simple if you need to look at a website that is not work related, just as the IT dept to make sure if you can

groovyf

In my role at work, I've been asked to review such internet access logs (proxy server logs) for specific users and produce reports for interested parties.

As stated in an earlier post above, it should be mentioned in any Computer Usage Policy you have at work.

I_have_spoken

Assume everything can be logged, recorded etc.

Including web sites accessed using https/.

Collabora

I_have_spoken wrote: »

Assume everything can be logged, recorded etc.

Including web sites accessed using https/.

https is only to make sure any sensitive details entered onto a website is encypted.
it will not stop a site from being monitored etc.

I_have_spoken

Many companies also proxy the https on port 443 and can check the content you see and send

d123

melbury wrote: »

Oh yes I appreciate that it is not just my PC.

So can they actually monitor exactly each and every thing that you are looking at on a particular site and how long you are on it for?

They can even monitor your keystrokes if they were so inclined, your IT guy probably even knows your passwords for all the sites you've been visiting while you should be working .

RumRat

Of course, IT have so much time on their hands. Normally they are complaining how hard the little darlings have to work.

Strider590

Whilst they can easily monitor internet usage, to actually drill down into those logs and pull out the relevant information would take one person all day (if not longer).
I've seen the logs for a 40 people company, printed we'd be talking 1000's of A4 sheets of data.

Quite frankly, it would take one extremely paranoid boss to pay an IT tech to waste a week going through logs JUST to catch someone who used Facebook for 3 minutes. They certainly won't go through all the history of all the companies employee's, usually just the one's who's face does not fit.

The chances are, they'll have set internet explorer to route through a logging proxy server. So to avoid this is as simple as turning off the proxy setting.

bluesnake

this us what we use at work
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Websense

It logs user names, blocks sites, looks for keywords, logs all the sites visited and the time spent there (but sites using constant Java refreshes are a bit hit and miss), and generates a usage list.

If anybody had a high usage rate, large downloads, say they were the top 3 surfers, and if not for business purposes, they at best would have a job restructure, or worst get fired.

Every single email ever sent, is stored, even if its deleted from the inbox it is stored somewhere else where it is a permanent record.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4yozPJ39g8

There are products out there that will virtually record your whole screen, record mouse movements and keyboard entries.

paddyrg

There may be a system to alert them to someone streaming prayed movies or naughty ladies, and even watching for suspicious network activity in case the security has been violated. In fact they'd be mad not to have one, but they don't run cheap.

Most people aren't going to bat an eyelid at an occasional facebook or this site visit, probably do it themselves, but if you're facing a disciplinary for any reason, they may look at the wider picture including what and how often you were surfing for yourself on their dime. Their IT people almost certainly do not know you're passwords to anything, nor care, to be honest.