Checking Internet History

Hi, recently joined a small company, 30 folks (6 PC users). The co. is on broadband but all IT (networking, software/hardware maintenance) is outsourced. I previously worked for IT manufacturing co. & my boss assumes I'm an IT wizard. One of the staff reported to him that they noticed porn material on a PC and I've been asked if I can look @ history of sites accessed. I've limited knowledge of PC's but know one can erase history, cookies etc. using the Tools/Options menu. Is there another way to verify what sites have been accessed? Thanks.

Does the company run a proxy server through which the users connect to the outside world? If so it may have logs of what has been accessed and by what IP address.

I've no idea Clubman. My own knowledge is limited! Is there a way I can check if they indeed run a proxy server? Would like to revert back without having to engage his IT consultants.....blue-eyed girl syndrome!

If history, cookies etc have been deleted (you can get deleted files back but thats a whole other story), then unless youre going through a company proxy which logs user activity, its gonna be difficult.

However, tell the boss to be careful.
First of all if you did find nefarious sites were accessed on a pc, and decided to take action against an employee, can he be sure that it was that employee who accessed the site and not another who was using it for that very purpose?
Is there an acceptable internet usage policy in effect in the company? If not, what rules has the employee broken even if its proven he did use the pc to access porn sites.
Then he has to prove that the employee accessed them directly and was not redirected to those sites while looking at a non-porn site.

apple1 said:

Is there a way I can check if they indeed run a proxy server? Would like to revert back without having to engage his IT consultants.....blue-eyed girl syndrome!

Click to expand...

It's going to be very hit and miss if you don't know what you're doing. The browser connection settings might give some clues as to whether or not things are proxied.

I second car's comments about policy issues here.

I think your boss should send an email to remind people that porn sites during work hours is not acceptable,

apple1 - i love it. Keep up the good work.

apple you want this

it's free but you have to manually check each index.dat file it finds and shows the contents


http://www.stevengould.org/software/indexdatspy/download.html

dodo said:

I think your boss should send an email to remind people that porn sites during work hours is not acceptable,

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In the absence of a well thought out and well communictated and well implemented "Internet Usage Policy" I think it would be very foolish of any employer to issue such an email.

how to delete history

I think your boss should send an email to remind people that porn sites during work hours is not acceptable,

Click to expand...

So we're ok after 5:30? Its all about the wording. Some proper samples .

Worked in HR many years for a top company, any issue regarding porn was a grey area due to people not having access to the net once a upon a time there was no net, if a person got caught with a playboy book nothing would happen, so when the internet a appeared on everybodies desk warnings had to be given.If your job has no policy regarding porn then there is issue's, some people might think it is ok to read the newspaper on line while working is that ok. It is common for companies to issue emails of what is not ok to look at when and during work hours. When companies hear of stories in the paper relating to porn at work they do send emails to remind workers that this is not acceptable in the work place.