IT Police, Any way around them?

[r10crw]

Ours are getting our of hand, off course all in the interest of our safety.

The latest is they now block our personal mail account. So I used mail2web.com and friends us the BT internet website etc. Does anyone know of a way around this? Like a website inside a website or something? Incidentally they block my vpn also .

[graeme]

There's always a way.

Are they blocking the vpn traffic, or blocking you from installing a vpn client connection on your work lappy?

What's the vpn setup?

[GBOBM]

Check if in's the URL that's blocked by typing the ip address into the search bar. Sometimes that gets round more primitive systems.

Also try to access other areas of the sites rather than the home page because sometimes it's the home url that is blocked.

[JohnStewart]

Google Chrome Remote desktop is surprisingly effective at getting through networks. You will need to have Chrome browser installed on both PCs, and then launch the app from the chrome store to permit access. You can then launch a remote desktop session to say your home PC, and you can then access everything from there. Downside is that you need to leave your PC switched on for it to work.

If working overseas, I leave my PC at home in sleep mode, and simple ask my wife to switch it on by moving the mouse. I can then get a remote desktop session to it, and send it back to sleep again afterwards.

[r10crw]

So IP was blocked too.

Found a way around, I run a virtual Linux, this seems to forward the network traffic and is not restricted so all good...

[ryallm]

Some IT security people I have come across are right up there with health & safety officers and traffic wardens for petty mindedness. I know of one large energy company where a member of staff was disciplined for charging his bike light from the USB port on his PC at work on the grounds that all USB devices pose a mission-critical security threat. Bonkers.

[campbell]

Priceless. I wouldn't risk my bike light on a corporate IT device though...never know what virus the light might catch!

[robin]

Some IT security people I have come across are right up there with health & safety officers and traffic wardens for petty mindedness. I know of one large energy company where a member of staff was disciplined for charging his bike light from the USB port on his PC at work on the grounds that all USB devices pose a mission-critical security threat. Bonkers.

It is just easier to say you may not attach anything. You would be surprised to note that there are innocent devices out there that have been made with a snooping capability - both digital and audio - if you have your "bike light" in the port when the machine boots up it can pretty silently install something onto your machine that can execute in a protected zone invisible to windows, virus checkers, etc., etc., and do all manner of espionage.

So I realise your friend's bike light was not such a device ... but how can you be sure ... and why should they (IT) invest the time to work it out.

Cheers,
Robin

[Sparky]

Try this...

https://www.torproject.org/

Stand alone .exe which you can run from your desktop.

[smoo25]

I find it easier just to wait till I get home to watch porn, saves the awkward looks from colleagues too

[graeme]

Some IT security people I have come across are right up there with health & safety officers and traffic wardens for petty mindedness. I know of one large energy company where a member of staff was disciplined for charging his bike light from the USB port on his PC at work on the grounds that all USB devices pose a mission-critical security threat. Bonkers.

It is just easier to say you may not attach anything. You would be surprised to note that there are innocent devices out there that have been made with a snooping capability - both digital and audio - if you have your "bike light" in the port when the machine boots up it can pretty silently install something onto your machine that can execute in a protected zone invisible to windows, virus checkers, etc., etc., and do all manner of espionage.

So I realise your friend's bike light was not such a device ... but how can you be sure ... and why should they (IT) invest the time to work it out.

Cheers,
Robin

Quite right, Robin.

The question is not whether it's stupid to punish somebody for a USB bike light, it's whether that somebody knew they were doing wrong by plugging in a USB device. If they didn't, management failing. If they did, employee failing.

"It's only a bike light" is irrelevant. It's either against the (published) rules or it isn't.

[BiggestNizzy]

We got an updated phone internet policy at work.

"The viewing of pornographic, racist or sexist material will be classed as gross misconduct and could result in instant dismissal (unless requested by a client)"

I have never come across a drawing that asks for any of that but its good to know I'm okay to research should a drawing reference racistsexistporntube.com

[Stevoraith]

That Link doesn't work Nizzy.

[ryallm]

Some IT security people I have come across are right up there with health & safety officers and traffic wardens for petty mindedness. I know of one large energy company where a member of staff was disciplined for charging his bike light from the USB port on his PC at work on the grounds that all USB devices pose a mission-critical security threat. Bonkers.

It is just easier to say you may not attach anything. You would be surprised to note that there are innocent devices out there that have been made with a snooping capability - both digital and audio - if you have your "bike light" in the port when the machine boots up it can pretty silently install something onto your machine that can execute in a protected zone invisible to windows, virus checkers, etc., etc., and do all manner of espionage.

So I realise your friend's bike light was not such a device ... but how can you be sure ... and why should they (IT) invest the time to work it out.

Cheers,
Robin

Quite right, Robin.

The question is not whether it's stupid to punish somebody for a USB bike light, it's whether that somebody knew they were doing wrong by plugging in a USB device. If they didn't, management failing. If they did, employee failing.

"It's only a bike light" is irrelevant. It's either against the (published) rules or it isn't.

Aww company rules schmools . I work in IT as a software engineer/consultant and I am reasonably well up to speed on IT security stuff, but disciplining someone for charging a bike light is a symptom of the worst kind of namby pamby corporate culture which treats employees as idiots who can't exercise a bit of personal responsibility. You can't have everyone plugging a USB stick or home laptop into your network, but listen, ITS A BIKE LIGHT. No memory, just a battery, a switch and a bulb. The same company is the one I have referred to in another post which makes it a disciplinary offence for employees not to hold onto the banister when using the stairs in the office building - simply beyond pathetic that they have a rule about this. This kind of paranoid corporate bull is one of the many reason why I could never again work for a large organisation. Except in a mercenary capacity as a consultant, obviously

[robin]

I assume you understand that s/he was not disciplined for charging a bike light, but rather for attaching an unauthorized USB device to the corporate machine. (Though actually the light might pose a fire risk if it's typical ebay spec, I assume they have yet to introduce rules to prevent the charging of batteries at work ).

I assume you understand why that policy is there?

In this case you're saying that policy shouldn't apply because the individual is smart enough to know that the peripheral is harmless. Where does that stop? Where does the assumed intelligence vs risk of being wrong line cross fhe line where discipline is appropriate?

Although I hate corporate culture, I am with Graeme on this one - either it's the rules or it isn't.

The hand rail thing is driven by litigation. If we had a legal system where it was OK to assume that the obvious was indeed obvious then you couldn't sue your employer when you tripped and fell down the stairs because nobody told you to hold on to the handrail. Given that you can sue for this, then your employer (or their insurer) has to invent such policies to cover their own butt. Unfortunately this culture of litigation and risk-identification/mitigation breeds paranoia - so HR/H&S departments get themselves tied up in knots of what-ifs - most of which would turn out to be bollocks if actually put to the test - but litigation is at the root of it IMHO. I doubt very much that anybody said "our employees are so stupid and clumsy that we need to teach them to hold the handrail".

Cheers,
Robin