Is AIM IM or MSN IM safe to use at work?

[Sweeper]

I have AOL IM and MSN IM installed on my PC at work. Now I don't use my MSN IM much but I do use my AOL IM for atleast my lunch hour. Now I know they monitor Internet usage. But can they monitor and see what I am saying or who I am talking to with AOL IM? Is it possible? Or can they just see that I'm connected to AOL IM. How does it show up. Just curious, because I normally leave it on all day at work, but lately the "Internet watchers" have been acting a bit strange and so I deleted it. Should I be worried????? I don't talk with it all day, usually it's just on and sitting in my taskbar. I'll talk usually a few times a day mostly on lunch.

[vass0922]

Well they can easily sniff your traffic and yes they can see all those pr0n chicks you talk to on AOL

Dunno I use it at work quite a bit and never had any problems
We have multiple layers of net watchers and haven't had too many problems... but we're also much larger.
Do you work for a big company that can't track everybody or do you work for a smaller company where the IT is guy is bored and can do things like that for fun?

oh and umm no major IM software is "safe" they're all full of holes
however, typically if you watch who you talk to you should be ok.

[Sweeper]

I'm not talking to any "PR0n" chicks if you mean like that. Just friends I know. My neice sits home all day and will usually talk to me esp. if she is over at a friends house and is bored. That would be it. Ummm the company size is pretty decent though we are spread out in different divisions. Not sure if they monitor each division seperatly or not. We have about 300 or so employee's that are on at the same time.

[Sweeper]

BTW the traffic is now watched or monitored by our CEO........ The IT guy is a freind of mine and he doesn't get into that part of it anymore. The CEO "BIG GUY" sorta took over that job for some reason... Our IT guy said that "We can see your traffic, but it's not like we can see what your saying back and forth. It shows up kinda, as net traffic, but we have had many people use it 24/7 for yrs just to talk to other people in other plants or even in the same plant." Now is this true or can they see what I am saying.

[vass0922]

well if the CEO is getting into I would definately limit the time that you use it. At least let things cool down
Sounds like he's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder so he maybe looking for people to crack down on
Good luck.

[vass0922]

If they really wanted to yeah they could see it. They'd have to run a packet sniffer on their proxy server (not hard to do) seeing as all IM traffic is passed over as clear text. Just like they can see what internet pages people visit and the content of those pages (and of course who's desktop those pages are destined for).

btw, its not saying that they DO.. just that it is possible.

[Sweeper]

Guess it's VIA E-mail for awhile.. Pain in the butt! Oh well.... Yeah our CEO is a bit nosy....... As our IT guy said..." I don't know why he got involved in it, it's not even his job....."

[vass0922]

Emails no better
its all clear text unless you can an email host thats SSL encrypted
However, granted it does not have the "I'm using a chat program" stamp on it as it goes across the network.

[Sweeper]

so they can monitor emails as well? Even if they are erased after they are sent? Or do they stay on the exchange server for other nosy people to read? Often wondered that

[Gomer]

Sweeper... what makes you think they aren't running some sort of keylogger as well? It is very possible. That would allow them to see EVERYTHING you typed regardless of the program you were using.