Bypassing a Webshare filter?

[Tim]

Is there any way to bypass / disable a Webshare internet filter? I just got back to work, and I use a computer on and off during the work time. The people next to me can roam the internet freely, but my computer was blocked before I even got here. I can only access a few sites, like my own site. I can't get into this site, eBay, or search engines, among other things.

I've tried playing around in the Control Panel in various folders, but haven't found anything yet.

Anyone know a way to disable the filter?

Anyone know the exact name of the process? Maybe I can disable it in Task Manager.

PS - I'm not concerned about internet use affecting the job, it's only going to last a month or 2 at most anyhow. I hate temp agencies!

[Tim]

No one knows anything about this?

[tcith]

If your a temp then you are most probably being treated the same way that I treat temp staff here at my place of work - we restrict all access to the web apart from online time sheets and things required for their employment.

We filter using a proxy filter - the users themselves cannot change the settings as they are attached to your login, not specific to a particular machine.

The people near you who can access the web unrestricted will be most probably due to the fact the permissions on the proxy server have been set to allow them access.

Without knowing the specifics of what system they are using to restrict your usage then I can't go into the specifics.

regardless, bypassing a filter like that would be viewed as "hacking" and the conditions and usgae rules of short-media prohibit giving information to bypass such protections that company has employed.

My suggestion would be to ask your boss or your system admin to grant you access to the web, if they feel you need it then they will grant it, if they feel you don't need it they will say no.

If I caught a temp staff member (in fact any staff member) here attempting to bypass a security measure I would instantly dismiss them.

[rc1974]

webfilters, restricted access, etc. These are the exact reasons I try and avoid jobs where I have to work on or with a computer. I'd rather do a job the old fashioned way, on pen and paper, a typewriter, or good old hard labor, not on some locked-down, dummy-proof, useless piece of silicon and plastic.

anyhow, it's a temp job, so it won't last for long... the only bad part, the pay ends as well

[Tim]

Well, I don't log in under my own name. I have to use the name of one of the other techs who is a full time employee, and his computer 50 feet away has full internet access. So I doubt they changed anything just because of me. The full time guy said something a few days ago about the computer at my station being restricted, and it was like that before I got there.

Whatever it is, I'll bet it's on one of the corporate servers and can't even be accessed from my terminal.

About the only sites I can see are totalgeekmedia.com, loudmouthtim.com, and imdb.com . And sometimes imdb is blocked under the entertainment category. Sometimes I can get on it.

Anything that falls into a clear category (cars, computers, etc) comes up as blocked. :banghead:

I see other people at work on the internet like it's nothing, and it bothers me. My job there doesn't have me doing things constantly, I only get up and work when one of the TV's coming off the assembly line is bad. Then I take some things apart or make minor repairs and enter it into the computer.

I spent a good 7 of the 10 work hours yesterday sitting or walking around doing nothing. I try to look busy so the assembly line people don't get mad at me. ;D

[RWB]

To be honest, shouldn't you be working instead of playing around? It's a good way to loose a paying job, temp or not.

[Tim]

See my last post. We were typing at the same time.

[rc1974]

I see other people at work on the internet like it's nothing, and it bothers me. My job there doesn't have me doing things constantly, I only get up and work when one of the TV's coming off the assembly line is bad. Then I take some things apart or make minor repairs and enter it into the computer.


you mean they still make TV's in America?

[tcith]

The software sounds like Websense - proxy server based - the system will filter sites based on category, the company subscribes to the service that then catagorises the sites, every time a staff member goes to a site that does not have a catagory that site URL is sent to the company to be catagorised for next time.

We block here :
uncatagorised (these are then sent to be catagorised)
Gambling
Auction sites (e-bay etc)
Radio and streaming audio/video
Sex
external mail (hotmail etc) inluding POP services
Instant messanger services
chat and dating services


We allow
News and weather
banking
sporting
Cars and automotive
real eastate

Even though these sites are allowed we can track the usage

Websense can be configured to filter by username or machine or IP range
sounds like your machine is being filtered regardless of who is logged in - I doubt there is anything local you can do to bypass the web filtering unless you can bypass the proxy server, considering the company is putting in the filtering (it's not a cheap service) they will be serious about it being breached.

[Tim]

Yes, it was Websense. No, I'm not going to try and hack into it. I'll settle for the 3 websites I can get to while at work.