Downloaded torrent software at work?

[Jimmy9190]

I don't know if this belongs here in the computer forum but here goes..I got an email from my boss at work today. She wants me to come to her office (in another town not far away from the office where I work) on Monday. She said she needs to have a conference with me because our IT department told her they had evidence I had downloaded torrent software onto my work computer, during work hours.

I got this email about 4:50 this afternoon. I leave work at 5 but I called her and she did answer the phone. I told her straight out that I have not willingly or knowingly downloaded any software. I don't even know what a torrent software is, much less know how to use one. We are allowed to use the internet at lunch and on breaks for reasonable personal use such as Yahoo and other normal sites. I told her maybe there was a drive by download from a web site I was on but I would never intentionally download anything on my work laptop. She said she has not received any direction to take disciplinary action against me but needs to discuss it with me and "she will know more about it after talking to me and IT on Monday". If it matters, our organization uses MacAffee antivirus. So now I have all Thanksgiving weekend to stew and worry about this.

I do visit Yahoo, BITOG, the Dodge Forum and a comic strip site, www.gocomics.com when I am at lunch. I hardly ever leave for lunch, I always brown bag and visit these few innocent sites. I have also watched a few music videos and a few Scotty Kilmer/ETCG videos on youtube on my laptop but I have never purposely downloaded anything on my work laptop. I have also done Google searches on my work laptop mostly for automotive info like back a few weeks ago when I was trying to diagnose the catalytic converter failure in my truck.

I don't do torrent at home on my personal PC either. I don't really know what a torrent program is, much less how to use one. I think it is for file sharing MP3's but I don't do that. Can anyone here help me sort this out? Has anyone here heard of this or had it happen to you personally? I have been at my job 7 years now, never had even one disciplinary action, never been in any sort of trouble. Does anyone have any ideas about this? My boss did tell me that even though the policy states we can use the laptops for reasonable personal use, it would be a good idea not to use the laptop for any personal use at all.

Thanks for any help. I am trying not to worry and let this ruin my Thanksgiving.

 

[redhat]

I'd be interested in what software your IS Department uses to keep track of newly installed software/unauthorized applications.

I hate McAfee AV, but I'm not sure if they have a module that would alert if unauthorized software/any new software was installed. We use Spiceworks that will list gobs and gobs of info about our workstations. Spiceworks has been known to mis-represent workstations in the past, so perhaps this is what is happening. Spiceworks tells us about new software installations/uninstalls.

Torrent downloading software itself is NOT illegal. There are many legal uses for torrents, for example, Linux Distribution ISOs. It can be used illegally to download copyrighted works. Torrents are:
Quote:
In the BitTorrent file distribution system, a torrent file is a computer file that contains metadata about files and folders to be distributed, and usually also a list of the network locations of trackers, which are computers that help participants in the system find each other and form efficient distribution groups called swarms.[1] A torrent file does not contain the content to be distributed; it only contains information about those files, such as their names, sizes, folder structure, and cryptographic hash values for verifying file integrity. Depending on context, a torrent may be the torrent file or the referenced content.
Torrent files are normally named with the extension .torrent, as in MyFile.torrent.

Did you install any new software at all? Even freeware? Some of these pieces of software have sneaky installers that will install [censored] even if you un-check "install XXXXX software".

I'd check if you have any newly installed software in your Start Menu. If you do see any Torrent applications, don't uninstall it, but leave it and explain your situation.

 

[MolaKule]

Quote:
She said she has not received any direction to take disciplinary action against me but needs to discuss it with me and "she will know more about it after talking to me and IT on Monday".


She probably just wants wants to reaffirm the usage policies (whatever they are) and find out from IT how something got through the system, if indeed that is what happened.

Potential software piracy issues are a major legal problem for companies today so they be ultrasensitive about something getting downloaded, unintentional or not.

While in her office, I would get a clarification of what the policies are and what can and cannot be viewed, and show your commitment to following the IT policies.

 

[EricF]

check your laptops installed program list, see if a torrent program is installed.
a torrent program is merely a peer-to peer or computer to computer file exchanger via the internet.
in some cases it's harmless, others, it's for piracy.

If a program like that wasn't suppposed to be isntalled, the IT dept, should have locked the laptop down better.
But that's an argument you'll lose.

If the program is there, then it's possible it was installed by malicious software, in which I'd ask for a malware scan, AND not to let them say a line like, no malware can get through our firewall or the AV program would have caught it.
Malware is very sophisticated, people write the code to get through firewalls and AV programs.

 

[earlyre]

as redhat stated, the Bit Torrent protocol itself is perfectly legal, and frankly a really efficient method of transferring large quantities of data. you can get various linux distros, libre office, and all sorts of perfectly legitimate above the board software via bit torrent. Twitter uses a version of it to keep their servers in sync with each other. most movies are delivered to theaters digitally anymore, and there are versions of the protocol that allow some theaters to stream the movies to their screen.

true, a sizeable chunk of folks who use bit torrent, use it to "pirate" software, music, movies, tv, etc. but this is not the sole use of the tech. just the most popular @ the moment, because of it's efficiencies. but because of that popularity, some "security" software will flag the BT software client itself as a, as windows puts it "Potentially unwanted program" and flags it for "potential Piracy", etc.

frankly, if they are that concerned about it, i'm sure they can block torrent traffic on their network (if the $30 belkin router i set up for a friends mom has a check box for this, i'm sure it has to be do-able on a commercial setup.)

or if it's a company issued laptop, they can lock it down where YOU CAN'T install ANYTHING, of course then they'd have to send a nerd out to do updates for you.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I have not downloaded any software or programs. Not on purpose and not to my knowledge anyway. I don't know how or what IT uses to see what is on our laptops and work station computers. My laptop uses Windows 7 and MacAffee Virus Enterprise. I just now powered up my work laptop (I have to bring it home every night, can't leave it at the office) and am looking at the control panel. There is an app there called Program Download Monitor but it is empty, no files or anything there. When I go to Programs and Features there is nothing out of the ordinary there. I have some Adobe updates and programs, McAfee agent, a long list of MS programs, Cisco, Firefox and a few other ordinary programs. Nothing has been downloaded since an Adobe One X Communicator from our phone systems provider, which is Avaya. It was downloaded on 10-14-2013 but I did not do it, IT handles all of these updates for us. Even if I get a popup saying there is a Microsoft or Windows update I still do not do it myself. I always let IT handle it. They send a guy to our office once a week for that kind of thing. The other most recent update was a Microsoft.NET Framework $ update done on 10-11-14. I did not do that one either.

There is a remote access program on the laptop called WinVNCserv. Maybe that is what they use to see what is on my laptop. It has a little eyeball icon next to the program name in the program list on the start menu. I can't find anything on this laptop out of the ordinary. I even tried typing "torrent" in the search box, nothing came up.

Thanks for your help Redhat and earlyre.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
So now I have all Thanksgiving weekend to stew and worry about this.

Your boss is clueless when it comes to people. My boss would NEVER in a million years do this to any of his employees. NEVER. EVER. But then he's a REAL boss; he understands people.

If possible, I think it might be a good idea to try and ask her for some sort of resolution before the weekend, pointing out that leaving the resolution until Monday will have you worrying all weekend about it.

I feel sorry for you, working under such a boss.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Now that I remember it, a few weeks ago I remember Google searching one day at lunch for info on my then-defective catalytic converter. I clicked a hit on the search list and an odd "Your Adobe is out of date, Install this new Adobe Update" window popped up. I don't do any updates on my work laptop anyway but this looked fishy to me so I immediately went to close the internet by clicking the X in the top right corner. It would not close right away so I opened the task manager to close it but by then the Internet had closed from my clicking the X.

My browser at Work Is Internet Explorer. I did not restart when that happened, I just opened the internet back up and kept on searching for cat con info. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary then either. I wonder if that was some kind of drive by download?

 

[mattwithcats]

First, you IT department should have locked down the computers so that programs / updates can't be installed.

Second, leave your computer off. Turn it in to the IT department, ask them to scan it for malware / torrent ...

Third, do your personal surfing at home or at work on a personal laptop at a Wi-Fi cafe ( if there is one around you may be able to pick up the signal in your office)
Or with a cell phone adapter...

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks for the advice and info on this. I did nothing wrong, intentionally or not. I will have to try to not let it ruin my holiday and see what comes of it on Monday. I am tempted to get on the internet with my work laptop and check the browsing history but I will let IT take a look at that on Monday. They can also scan it for malware if they want. I will promise my boss I will not use my work laptop for personal use ever again, but I am sure that will already be put in writing for my signature since she told me she needs to document the conversation. I just hope that is all that happens and I don't lose my job for something I did not do, whether intentionally or not. Thanks for listening guys.

 

[Rolla07]

Take in the laptop and kindly ask them to show you which program is the torrent program. They need to prove this to you first. If you truly didnt knowingly download a torrent program. Make it clear that you only use it for quick browsing off company time. Advise that going forth you will use it strictly for work purposes. And use ur own laptop/cell phone for browsing etc..i wouldnt be too concerned as long as your boss considers u a valuable employee! Call her like Tegger suggested if it really stresses u. Good luck!

 

[eljefino]

Probably they did a "port scan" and ports that are open by (typically) torrents were open. Could be malware, could be something innocent. They don't seem to be handling this terribly well.

What line of work, be general of course. Healthcare, banking, government contracts? They have (rightfully) insane rules about IT stuff.

 

[redhat]

So you know, WinVNC is a piece of software that allows your IS Department to remotely connect to your computer. The display on your screen is transmitted to them (the viewer) and their mouse and keyboard strokes are set to your machine as if they were sitting in front of it.

If you don't recall anyone or anything taking control of your machine, then they probably didn't use that to see this alleged Torrent software install. Also, VNC isn't a very secure method of remote control. Not a very good idea especially for mobile laptops. I could see this being ok for fixed workstations behind a firewall, but cringe that it's used on a laptop. I don't know, maybe since I'm part of a competent IS Department and in healthcare, I like things done right.

If you can't find any trace of Torrent software, then I wouldn't worry too much. Especially since you know you didn't download anything. Let us know of you have any other questions.

 

[Donald]

Companies seem to care a lot more about file sharing software than other stuff as they are liable for copyright infringements since they own the computer.

Also some companies are locking things down so employees cannot send confidential company data out into the internet from their PC.

I would limit your personal use of the company computer to email, news and weather. Do your actual web surfing at home.

Go for a walk at lunch rather than surfing. Better for you.

 

[actionstan]

Haha if your company uses Mcafee as there anti virus I am

1: surprised they have IT people that can tell something has been installed on your computer.

2: mcafee sucks and could let anything through without your knowledge.

No offense intended at all, you don't seem like a person who is deep into using computers, and that you are just a standard everyday normal user, like browsing websites/watching youtube videos/checking email. In this case I say honesty is the best policy, tell them what you browse on your lunches and breaks, and take you computer with you(which I assume was the point from the get go). I think in the end this should work out for you just fine, especially if your a decent employee and do your work and don't cause issues. I for one would try not to worry over your thanksgiving break(even though it was really [censored] for them to bring this up right before), enjoy your time off and just be strait forward. That's all you can do.

 

[TrevorS]

There's some good advice in this thread.

Firstly, you are clearly innocent so remember that during your time off and when you have the meeting on Monday.

At the meeting, be very aware of acting defensive but also don't be too casual. Be very clear that before your boss told you about this, you had no idea what torrents are.

I would also be wary of turning the computer in. Instead, ask them to explain what a torrent is and what they expect to find on the machine. Get that on record and then inspect the machine together so there's no shenanigans from them if they were mistaken.

But do this all in a serious manner. You are alarmed that someone seems to have compromised the security of your work computer and it needs to be investigated because work files could have gone the other way.

Lastly, once this is over, you need to tell your boss you were worried over Thanksgiving and evaluate her response. If it were a dumb mistake, then fine but some people are just malicious.

 

[JetStar]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
So now I have all Thanksgiving weekend to stew and worry about this.

Your boss is clueless when it comes to people. My boss would NEVER in a million years do this to any of his employees. NEVER. EVER. But then he's a REAL boss; he understands people.

If possible, I think it might be a good idea to try and ask her for some sort of resolution before the weekend, pointing out that leaving the resolution until Monday will have you worrying all weekend about it.

+1

I feel sorry for you, working under such a boss.

 

[ronbo]

Tell your boss you didn't intentional download anything and if the company would like and set it up your willing to take a polygraph test to confirm it.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks for the responses guys. I do appreciate it. I am very worried about how this will turn out but am trying not to let it ruin my Thanksgiving. My boss said she had not been instructed to take any disciplinary action against me but she has to document all of this so I am trying to not get so keyed up about it. Yes it was a very bad move to tell me about this just before Thanksgiving. I am trying not to let it bother me.

I did not willingly download anything. I do seem to remember the other day I was online at lunch and got a pop-up that asked if I wanted to install some piece of software or application. I don't remember what it was or where I was when it came up but I do remember closing the window. I hope I did not accept it instead of closing it out and I have heard of rogue programs that will install themselves whether you accept it or not. I honestly can't remember what exactly happened.

Even if there is torrent ware on my laptop, I have no idea how to use it and no inclination how to use it. If I needed to download music or movies I surely would not do that on my work laptop. I don't download movies but I have watched a few music videos and car-related stuff on You Tube at lunch. That is all of the video/music related surfing I have done at work. I have only been on Youtube at work maybe a dozen times in the last 2 or 3 months. If I really want an MP3 I use mp3 million.com to buy it at home on my personal computer. I have no idea how to torrent mp3's or anything else for that matter.

I would think if they can see the torrent ware on my laptop then they should also be able to see that I have not used it. If I did get it on my laptop then I hope they will understand it was an innocent mistake on my part and it definitely will not happen ever again. I will respectfully ask that they show me what they found or think is on the laptop and get them to remove it. I hope my perfect conduct and work record will help me keep my job. I have not done anything wrong, other than maybe I made a mistake browsing online at lunch.

Thanks again guys. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you here.

 

[Jimmy9190]

OK so I am thinking now about my "defense" when I go in to see my boss on Monday. Is it possible to accidentally download torrent software just by viewing a You Tube video or maybe viewing sites with pictures? By pictures I mean pictures of car parts like catalytic convertors and oxygen sensors. The videos I saw at work were only a few ETCG, Scotty Kilmer and a few music videos. The most recent video I watched was on Tuesday I saw half of a Joe Bonomassa concert on You Tube. Wednesday I watched the other half of it. I have been viewing the gocomics site for a long time on my laptop at work, never had any problems like this with it.

I did a Bing search but it only returned hits on downloading and installing torrent ware. I do not need or want any torrent ware, here, at work or anywhere else. I just wonder if I somehow picked up a torrent ware accidentally when I visited a legit site like You Tube or Auto Zone. There are even videos of catalytic converter repair info on the Rock Auto site. I saw a couple of those at lunch too when I was researching my cat converter problem. Can the torrent ware be imbedded in a legit picture or video like malware can?

I hope and pray I still have a job come Monday morning. If I am still employed I will bite the bullet, get with the modern times and buy myself a smart phone. That way I can use the internet anytime and anywhere without a need to use my work laptop for anything but work.

Thanks for all of your help and support here.