dodgy files on the network

[age]

What is the best way of keeping the network clean of jpegs, mpegs and other such files? We currently use LanDesk to monitor installed software on the workstations on our network, but we havent yet found a way of monitoring individual files on workstations. Does LanDesk provide this function? If not, is there a good piece of software out there that can monitor c$ and d$ hard disk shares on all workstations on a network and report on a given list of banned file extensions??

Any experienced net-police out there who can share their knowledge?

cheers.....

Adrian.

 

[SimonDavis]

Difficult. I wouldn't think it would take long before you'd need to monitor .zip files, once the users caught on . . .

It's a management problem as much as anything else. Your company has the right to protect itself, and formally banning certain activities to this end should be perfectly acceptable to anybody with a clean conscience.

I doubt you could physically stop determined people storing particular file types, they'll just find another way to do it - you can put pictures in a word document if you want to - the solution must be to communicate to them that firstly it is not acceptable, and secondly that the company reserves the right to verify the contents of their computers and take appropriate action if any unaceptable use is discovered.

If you have the support of your management on this, it is probably the proper way to do it.

 

[KeyTech]

yea, no matter what software you use, all it takes is for one user to discover how to rename the extention of the file from .jpeg to .ppeg or .jpag or something that doesnt exist so that it can be stored, and when they want to retrieve it they can just rename it back to the correct extention. I think a restriction to certain folders for each user and a company banning on this, and a few spot checks of this to keep it alive... Jay~

"I have to think of a funny footer to
put in here!!!???"

~KeyTech

 

[age]

Hmm shame ) we do all of that already but users will be users... we have a lot of email attachments quarantined automatically (.exe, .js, .asp, .vb, the scary stuff and the stuff thats most likely to be flash animations etc...) and users have to ask us to release a quarantined file, if it's legitimate which works great (surprisingly few files ever get claimed!).... but we're still trying to crack down on the jokes and the porn, for reasons of corporate image and legality rather than because we consider ourselves the moral police.... I guess we'll carry on the spot checks and that will have to do for now.... thanks for your comments.... )