ET TU
Its' Only Temp
Premium
join:2005-05-21
Belvidere, NJ
| How can you trace the path of a pic from comp to comp
how can you trace what files came from another computer and/or multi computers when it isnt password protected or networked or admin access lock out's etc... a plan old desktop sitting there that anybody can use and have full access?
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Yes I am a Doctor and no you still must make an appointment Mors ultima linea rerum est stercus accidit Quando podeces te regi eorum fecerunt? |
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Cudni
La Merma - Vigilado
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-20
Someshire
1 edit | what kind of files? if something like .doc or xls and similar then maybe placing a unique identifier within, can be anything but known to only few, in advance could be one way it can be traced
edit: or using something like this util
»support.microsoft.com/kb/159214
to determine what shouldn't be there etc.
Cudni
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Some are born to failure, others achieve it, all deserve it.Help yourself so God can help you.MVP, Microsoft Windows Security 2006 |
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ET TU
Its' Only Temp
Premium
join:2005-05-21
Belvidere, NJ | a gif or jpg , bmp |
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Cudni
La Merma - Vigilado
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-20
Someshire | something like this, exiftags?
»www.wap.org/journal/protectingim···ult.html
Cudni |
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dave
Premium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
 ·Verizon Online DSL
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to ET TU
If it's "just any old files", you can't. Bits is bits.
If it's specific files you want to label "in advance", then use watermarking.
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_watermarking
But, really, I'm sort of confused. If this computer is intentionally sitting there unprotected, why do you care who copies what? Or of you do care, why isn't it protected?
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Microsoft Security MVP, 2005-2007. |
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ET TU
Its' Only Temp
Premium
join:2005-05-21
Belvidere, NJ | i have found files on computer in office and i wanted to know where they came from and who's computer or computers |
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ET TU
Its' Only Temp
Premium
join:2005-05-21
Belvidere, NJ
| reply to dave
as office manager a female employee came to me and said there where porn images on a computer in the office and i want to find out the offending party or parties
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Yes I am a Doctor and no you still must make an appointment Mors ultima linea rerum est stercus accidit Quando podeces te regi eorum fecerunt? |
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AB
Premium
join:2006-04-04
Leesburg, VA
| said by ET TU  :as office manager a female employee came to me and said there where porn images on a computer in the office and i want to find out the offending party or parties "The skunk smells it first", they say . . .
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tempnexus
Premium
join:1999-08-11
Boston, MA
3 edits | wait, so you are saying that she doesn't shower???
It can always be infected, and act as a IRC porn server 
Best way is to place a sign there that says: "If you see Mrs (name of the employee) walking by, make sure to hide your porn stash"...problem solved...no more offensive images. |
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AB
Premium
join:2006-04-04
Leesburg, VA
| said by tempnexus :wait, so you are saying that she doesn't shower??? No. I'm saying there could be some 'CYA' going on here . . .
Not seriously, of course, but hey, you never know.
It was a female substitute teacher, after all, that was just convicted of showing porn to the kids in middle school. |
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tempnexus
Premium
join:1999-08-11
Boston, MA | Yeah I mean shiat where were those teachers when I was in school!!!!! |
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AB
Premium
join:2006-04-04
Leesburg, VA
| said by tempnexus :Yeah I mean shiat where were those teachers when I was in school!!!!! Gym class? |
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sbkansas
Actual Example
Premium,MVM
join:2001-05-10
Hays, KS
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to ET TU
Most likely you won't find out 'who'. the best you will be able to do is check the properties of the images and see when they were created, and if you know for sure who was using that computer that day/hour/minute then maybe.
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"You will find that the mere resolve not to be useless, and the honest desire to help other people, will, in the quickest and delicatest ways, improve yourself" - John Ruskin |
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clickwir
join:2001-06-21
Dickson City, PA
| reply to ET TU
First of all, who uses that computer?
Most likely they are from that person.
Do your users login with a unique network login and share files on a server?
If so, most OS's will let you see basic info of who put the file there. Just right click and goto Properties. That's about the most info you can get.
However, if person A downloaded the file. Shared it with person B, and Person B put them on the server, you won't see anything about person about Person A. It'll look like Person B did it all. Which may or may NOT be the case.
At most, you're likely to only get info of who last saved/edited the file. Not a chain of info that would be useful. |
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ET TU
Its' Only Temp
Premium
join:2005-05-21
Belvidere, NJ
| no login many users
so i have no way of telling who put the files who looked at them and all i have is date and time from the files
so that leaves about 25-30 people and the only way to cancel someone is if they were off those days or not in or around the office so no way to put a person/computer to the files and is it true date and time can be spoofed also as i have been told |
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Vig
Thread-safe since 1997
Premium
join:2004-03-23
San Diego, CA
| Simply put, you won't get any help from the machine unless it has some kind of login account system. That's what credential systems were designed to do: assign responsibility and access rights to an individual. Since that wasn't in place in this instance, anything you deduce will have to be done on your own.
--
Visit the land of the never-setting sun |
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ET TU
Its' Only Temp
Premium
join:2005-05-21
Belvidere, NJ | so i guess i break out the cattle prod and force a confession out of someone lol |
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AB
Premium
join:2006-04-04
Leesburg, VA
| said by ET TU :so i guess i break out the cattle prod . . . . And whoever enjoys it the most is the guilty party. |
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Vig
Thread-safe since 1997
Premium
join:2004-03-23
San Diego, CA
| reply to ET TU
something like this might do the trick. Unfortunately, there's no USB-powered model available.
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Visit the land of the never-setting sun |
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Blackbird
Built for Speed
Premium
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | reply to ET TU
First things first. It seems you have a moderately small medical-related office. Have you established a written "policy" for the office (and briefed all the employees accordingly) that no porn images or other "inappropriate materials" are to be placed on the business's computer - for any reason? Sometimes employees do these things as a joke on others, sometimes simply because they can, and sometimes you have somebody working for you with a real problem.
As you perhaps already know, this is not a trivial issue, given that workplace exposure to inappropriate material (digital or printed) can become cause for a variety of "official" employee complaint actions if the offended party is so inclined. In that case, the employer is generally held liable for what takes place in their workplace, especially involving company facilities and equipment. Things can become even uglier if a customer is somehow "offended" in like manner.
In small-office settings, it may be enough to sit everyone down and quietly explain the realities of the situation - that placing inappropriate materials in this way (even as a joke) can cause the company very serious legal problems and place all their jobs in jeopardy. Ask for cooperation going forward and an exercise of maturity on each person's part. Sometimes this works amazingly well, especially if the employees are level-headed professionals and already have an awareness of issues of trust, confidentiality, etc. typical of a HIPAA invironment.
But the most effective answer (and the one most likely to withstand legal assault in case of lawsuit) is to establish a reasonably secure log-on methodology. This would need to involve unique and not-to-be-shared passwords, limited accounts, and such for the computer that would block use by non-essential employees and make traceability of actions reasonably possible. Again, in a typical small office setting, you're probably not dealing with a hardened computer hacker or guru who would immediately do an end-around such measures.
And of course, depending on the nature of what has found its way onto the computer, you could possibly have suffered a malware infection that automatically downloads this stuff on its own. You want to be sure the computer's clean, and tighten up any settings needed to help assure it stays that way.
Edit: One added thought... can you be sure the computer is not accessible by cleaning or off-hour service crews when regular staff is not present? If such access exists, you might want to lock the computer in some manner while the office is "closed".
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If God wanted us to work with electrons, He'd make them big enough to see... |
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