ObserveIT on a VPN

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Flybye

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Messages
373
Hi all,

If you connect securely to your office via a VPN to Xen, but then you suddenly notice the ObserveIT icon running in the toolbar at the top tool bar on a mac, is IT able to record everything you do on your computer, or only what you do within the programs running in Xen?
 
Hi Flybye let me start off by saying that I don't have Xen or ObserverIT experience, but let me see if I can provide some useful information ;)

I'm a Mac user and I run Windows Server Remote Desktop Services with SpectorSoft (an ObserveIT competitor actually looking to switch). I let users VPN and then access the server with an RDP client. I'm able to monitor everything they do within the RDP session and nothing else whether it's on their Mac or otherwise.

I cannot say definitively that the same applies to your scenario, but I believe that your IT department is only able to monitor what you do within your Xen apps.

Hope this helps.
 
It makes sense that they can only view what is in the VPN.

I wouldn't think the VPN would install something that would allow them to see what is on my computer like a remote support software can.

Or could a VPN secretly install a support program in the background?
 
Can you be more specific on how you connect via VPN, e.g. do you use the built-in VPN client in Mac OS X or a third-party app?
 
I can't say with certainty that the 3rd party VPN app doesn't contain any type of "spyware." If you're uneasy about the situation a possible solution is to create a virtual machine with Mac OS X using VMware Fusion (you could use Parallels but I prefer Fusion) and install the 3rd party VPN app. You would only use that virtual machine for connecting to your company's network and do whatever work you need.

Before going the VM route you could search the 3rd party VPN client's forum and see what other users say about potential "spyware".

You can also look at installing LittleSnitch, which is an app that alerts you of outgoing connections.
 
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