I use a mac 10.3 wireless-equipped laptop, with a cisco VPN client to log into my workplace Exchange server and see my email over Entourage, which is Mac's equivalent to Outlook client software.
My home internet connection is set up by a hard router that then sends the signal from the DSL modem to my computer via an Airport wireless transmitter (it doesn't function as the router in this system).
Generally to try to keep work and personal pursuits separate, I have one "user" for work and one "user" for home. Mac's permit one to switch between users. In my work user mode I activate the VPN client, check email, respond, and then shut down the VPN.
Yesterday I made the mistake of turning on the VPN client, checking email and then switching users without shutting down the VPN client.I browsed some websites I would just assume my workplace didn't know about.
When I returned to work stuff I realized the vpn client had been on "all along".
I dont know a lot abput VPN clients, but by checking the statistics tab I determined that "local LAN" was disabled, suggesting that all internet traffic might have been channelled through the workplace server. Is that likely?
Does the fact that I was online from a different "user" interface on the same machine alter that?
How likely is it that my workplace would have monitored the websites I checked.
The bonus question is, if I screwed up and there is some unclear likelihood of monitoring, should I fess up and talk to our Division IT director, tell him it won't happen again etc?
My home internet connection is set up by a hard router that then sends the signal from the DSL modem to my computer via an Airport wireless transmitter (it doesn't function as the router in this system).
Generally to try to keep work and personal pursuits separate, I have one "user" for work and one "user" for home. Mac's permit one to switch between users. In my work user mode I activate the VPN client, check email, respond, and then shut down the VPN.
Yesterday I made the mistake of turning on the VPN client, checking email and then switching users without shutting down the VPN client.I browsed some websites I would just assume my workplace didn't know about.
When I returned to work stuff I realized the vpn client had been on "all along".
I dont know a lot abput VPN clients, but by checking the statistics tab I determined that "local LAN" was disabled, suggesting that all internet traffic might have been channelled through the workplace server. Is that likely?
Does the fact that I was online from a different "user" interface on the same machine alter that?
How likely is it that my workplace would have monitored the websites I checked.
The bonus question is, if I screwed up and there is some unclear likelihood of monitoring, should I fess up and talk to our Division IT director, tell him it won't happen again etc?