Gambling, Porn in Workplace Breed Spyware

[mandy]

Some security pros estimate that half of all spyware on corporate networks comes from employees going to pornographic and gambling Websites on company computers.

'I think a lot of companies are blissfully unaware of what their employees do on their networks,''...

... He recommends trying a URL blocker that would sit in line with the firewall. And then he says the company needs to come up with a strict policy that states that the company's computers and network are to be used for legitimate business purposes only. It also needs to spell out that workers will be monitored, there should be no expectation of privacy and there will be repercussions if the rules are broken.

full article: http://www.esecurityplanet.com/preventio...hp/3558241

[Nat]

Not at my work, they have blocked many sites from employees accessing and on top of it the blocker they use tracks employees internet habits.  Right now they don't look at it but it's there when they want to fire an employee - gives them more amunition - even though the tracker won't show them going to porn, etc sites as those are blocked it tracks which sites they have been on and how long they have been on each site and on the internet.  My DH was telling me at his workplace they reprimanded someone who was on the internet for over 3/4's of her work shift every day.

[xppman]

My DH was telling me at his workplace they reprimanded someone who was on the internet for over 3/4's of her work shift every day.

OT

She is probably contracted with LiveWorld and is a feebay cheerleader
working the ebay boards all day while at work.

Last year I busted one of them. They were posting to my guestbook some nasty stuff and I traced the IP addy.

I think they are really mad because I reported their activity to the admin of a VA hospital in Virginia
were instead of doing their JOB at the VA they were doing ebays job on the ebay boards and other forums not to happy with the bay.

They may have been fired, because they didn't post anymore from that IP.

[bargainbloodhound]

someone who was on the internet for over 3/4's of her work shift every day.

There was a survey earlier in the year that found that (UK) office workers spend over 2/3 of their workday gossiping, surfing the Internet, etc.  :blinkie:

half of all spyware on corporate networks

...and I'm betting a fairly large percentage of spyware on home PCs can be traced to people sharing files between their infected office PCs and home PCs.

I'm not really in favor of the 'big brother' monitoring of employees Internet activity, but I do think that blocking access to  some Internet sites is necessary for security reasons.

[mandy]

A related article:

Workers across Europe are continuing to place their own companies at risk from information security attacks. This 'threat from within' is undermining the investments organisations make to defend against security threats...

...four types of employees who put their workplace at risk:

    * The Security Softie – This group comprises the vast majority of employees. They have a very limited knowledge of security and put their business at risk through using their work computer at home or letting family members surf the internet on their work PC.
    * The Gadget Geek – Those that come to work armed with a variety of devices/gadgets, all of which get plugged into their PC.
    * The Squatter – Those who use the company IT resources in ways they shouldn’t (i.e. by storing content or playing games).
    * The Saboteur – A very small minority of employees. This group will maliciously hack into areas of the IT system to which they shouldn’t have access or infect the network purposely from within

full article: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/15/...ty_survey/