Websense - some advice please

[jim_107]

My employer uses Websense to regulate use of the internet on the firm's network which I fully support.

What I'd like some clarity on is when I'm not connected to the firm's network, for example when I'm travelling and using an adsl connection with my laptop in a hotel on my own time, when I reconnect to the network a day or two later does Websense retrieve my activities retrospectively?

Reason I ask is a colleague used some online recruitment sites using his company laptop in his own time and this seemed to quickly become common knowledge - was this due to Websense or just a coincidence?

If there is a retrospective capability can it be addressed?

Jim

[nihil]

C'mon Jim...........wake up!

1. If you wish to do something behind your employers' back, make damn sure that it is turned first.
2. Use your own equipment, you own that.
3. Read your AUP...............you will find that you have no rights
4. You have no idea what is on that machine, and there are a hell of a lot better things than websense to watch your every sordid move

Also think that your recruiting guys will be looking in exactly the same place as your colleague advertised himself?

It might have been a deliberate ploy to provoke a raise?

[phishphreek]

As far as I know... websense won't see any site that you try to go to off that network.
Websense is a proxy. It just inspects/accepts/rejects/reports on the traffic it sees.

They can still see what you went to though... temp files, history files, cookies, etc.

[nebulus200]

I think you can actually configure a system to use Websense, even off your network, it'll just slow down everything since it has to send the URL to websense and wait for the reply of whether or not its allowed. I think I agree with phishphreek though, more likely they are admins of the laptop and saw the URL history...

[thehorse13]

I am a Websense admin and yes, there is a 'roaming' feature. You can set logging to anything you like too should you decide to allow someone the ability to browse a certain category, in your case, job searches. When you come back to your employer's network (either physically or via VPN, as long as the agent can see the WS server is all that matters), this info will be written to the SQL DB and can then be queried by the numerous reports available in Websense.

However, as others have mentioned, there a million 'tells' on a lappy that could have given him up. URL history, temp files, reg key values and the list goes on.

The roaming capability is to protect the organization from lawsuits even when you're out on client engagements. Nothing like being sued by your customer for sexual harassment.

Your buddy doesn't have a leg to stand on if he blows the privacy trumpet, however, the information leak to internal staff may be something he can make stick if he wants to be a ball buster. Then again, how many people are going to help out a guy looking to bail anyway?

--TH13

[jim_107]

Thanks to each of you who replied - these is clearly deep expertise out there, and expressed in language even a humble laptop user can relate to.

nihil - not sure where the word "sordid" crept in from, we were contemplating job hunting!

[nihil]

Jim ole chap,

If you work for me and look for another job, that is "sordid"

It also incurs the death penalty...............you must realise that I have total discretion in any matters of "severance" (I also decide where the body parts go) and "termination" (with extreme prejudice)

[jim_107]

Confronted with the threat of imminent death I've pledged my loyalty to my employer for the rest of my natural term - based on current pension trends I might not have any choice.

Presumably nihil the quid pro quu is I can seek further advice in due course?

Thanks again all