Idiot VPN Client question

[Alderman Barnes]

I work from home a couple of days a week now, and the company's IT people are on at me to install a Cisco VPN client on my PC at home so that I can work through my office computer, the advantage being that we don't have to send e-mails with big attachments back and forth. Sounds fair enough.

I'm just a bit worried about privacy. Can they see what I'm doing (i.e. wasting time on OTF) and what I've got on my hard drive (I do some work on the side for other customers), in other words can they snoop on me? Also, I'm a bit worried about catching viruses and whatnot through the company network.

Until now I've been logging on remotely to the company's database server and it's worked fine, but they've started to nag a bit about getting the VPN server, which would be more efficient. It's nothing other than entirely kosher, but I just don't like the feeling of possibly being monitored. Is there anything to worry about?

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

Idiot VPN Client question

Our company uses Cisco VPN and I have the client on my machine too. It's a bit flaky, but works well enough most of the time.

I presume you'll do what I do - that is VPN connect to your company's network so you get an IP address on their subnet and then remote desktop to your machine at work?

Whatever you do on your home machine, work cannot see at all, as long as you don't set up your home machine to go through their proxy server or set up any folders to be shared. Even then I don't think they can access your machine (at our place the subnet for machines connecting on the VPN is different to the one for machines in the building)

Surely your work has adequate virus protection?

[Alderman Barnes]

Idiot VPN Client question

Yes, that's exactly what I'll be doing. There was one virus that got about a few years ago, but there haven't been any since then so I presume they're well protected.

Thanks for that, CTT.

[Dynamo Kev]

Idiot VPN Client question

That bit about the proxy is not entirely true. It depends on how they configure the VPN concentrator and client. In short- they may be routing all traffic (work and Internet) through the tunnel. Simple test will show.. Do this before you connect to the VPN and again after you connect to the VPN, if the results are the same- you're good. If they differ, all your traffic is going through work and they, in all likelihood, can see what you are up to (surfing-wise)..
XP users
click Start > Run > type: cmd (click OK)
at the command prompt type: tracert www.yahoo.com

it'll come back looking like this:

1 21 ms 27 ms 19 ms SERVER4 [192.9.200.50]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 34 ms 29 ms 31 ms 68.85.152.77
4 29 ms 31 ms 27 ms te-1-1-ur01.upperdarby.pa.panjde

do the same thing after you connect to the VPN and see if the first few lines match..

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

Idiot VPN Client question

The Cisco VPN client has an option for split tunnelling, so I can be on my 'home' and 'work' networks at the same time.

I believe it also has to be set up on the VPN server though.

[Femme Folle]

Idiot VPN Client question

Thanks for that, DK, I'm going to try that. I am always careful to disconnect from the VPN before I go on the internet.

edit: Just checked and they're different. Looks like I was right to be cautious. Thanks again for the tip.

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

Idiot VPN Client question

As I suspected, I've just tried DK's test and my connection is going clean out even when I'm connected to the work VPN, due to the split tunnelling.

[Femme Folle]

Idiot VPN Client question

OK, here's a stupid question. I think I know the answer, but I'll ask anyway. If I have my desktop connected to the company VPN, can I use my laptop, which is connected to the internet via wireless router, at the same time without work seeing what I'm doing on the laptop?

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

Idiot VPN Client question

Yes, if your company's VPN is set up to use split tunelling.

[hobbes]

Idiot VPN Client question

If I have my desktop connected to the company VPN, can I use my laptop, which is connected to the internet via wireless router, at the same time without work seeing what I'm doing on the laptop?

Yes, because although you're using the same internet pipe, the VPN is an encapuslated pathway so nothing on that should have any access to anything else using that and vice versa.
In fact unless you're a bit of a hacker techno wizz, you shouldn't be able to see what's on another machine if it has an intrusion detection firewall.

[Femme Folle]

Idiot VPN Client question

Good to know--thanks!