Am I being paranoid?

Billygoat

I've posted several times about my unethical partner at work. I'd like to share a story and get your viewpoint.

First of all, I have a screensaver on my laptop. It is secured with a password. My computer is also set to go into sleep mode after 30 minutes, which means the screen goes black. I can reactivate my screen by touching the mouse or pushing a key.

Yesterday morning I left the office around 9:30 for a client meeting. My partner stayed behind since he was "behind on emails". When I got back around 12:30, there was a note on my screen from my partner that said, "Gone home sick! - R****** 11:45". Well, the interesting thing is that my Outlook was wide open for everyone to see. I found that strange since my computer had no screensaver on it nor had it gone into sleep mode. I checked my display settings and it had been turned off completely. I KNOW I had not done that!

I totally do NOT put it past my partner to get into my stuff when I'm gone. What do you think? Am I being paranoid? What sucks is that I have no proof, but I just have a gut feeling he's up to something. I talked to our tech guys and they said they can get me some tracking software. Does anyone know anything about that?

Andi

Jourles

Which version of Windows are you using? If it is WinMe or 98, it would be easy to arrive at the screen you are talking about. If you are using NT or Win2K, then it is a little more difficult. Using Me or 98, all he would have to do is restart your computer to get around your screensaver pw. Sleep mode only conserves your battery while undocked or unplugged. Try enabling your BIOS pw(only if you are using Me or 98). That will stop him from powering off your computer and powering it back on and getting straight into your stuff. The BIOS pw would stop him dead in his tracks.

If that does not work, then have your IT department install tracking software. BTW, is this guy fairly computer competent?

Jourles

Oh, did you check to make sure that your screensaver had kicked in before you left for your meeting?

Billygoat

Jourles,

I have windows 98. And yes, he's pretty technical. If he could get just power off my computer he would still need my passwords to get it booted back up again. I know for a fact my screensaver was working earlier in the morning, but not right before I left. I didn't wait for it to kick in.

Can you explain what BIOS is?

JanH

Andi,

I have windows 98. And yes, he's pretty technical. If he could get just power off my computer he would still need my passwords to get it booted back up again.

Not unless you have a bios password on your PC. The Windows 9x & Me password protection is a joke.

- Jan

Francois

Maybe he rebooted your system with an A: drive book disk. Perhaps you should disable your A: drive.

Doesn't sound like you're paranoid; sounds like you've got a sicko in your office. I wonder if he goes home at night and does strange things with small furry animals? Does he seem to have an awful lot of duct tape around?

Francois

OUTLAW

Hey Andi,just because your paranoid,dosen`t mean somebody isn`t out to get you.(LOL)..If I were you I would follow my gut instinct.Take measures to guard against this person...OUTLAW

julien

send yourself fake juicy emails (bait) and see if he bites

AjaxMan

Andi,

You're definitely not paranoid. Go ahead and have a talk with the IT guys about setting up that tracker in your PC. Somebody is messing with you. It's true that the security for Win 9x and Me sucks as JanH and others here pointed out, but do everything to make sure your PC is secure and try doing it subtly as don't let your coworkers know it so that way, the bastard can get BUSTED in the act.

regards and ,

Ajax

Incense_and_Peppermints

most of those tracking software packages work by recording every single keystroke and then dumping all the data into a big file. since the intrusion is occurring on your computer, it still won't show you who is messing with it. but it can at least show you what's happening. but even then, how would you remember every single activity without keeping some sort of log yourself?

just log off when you are gone for long periods, like to meetings, lunch, etc. or worst case, ask a trusted friend to watch your office for you.

the word "sabotage" comes to mind. ick. my old boss did that to me, so i know it happens. long story, but as a new writer, all the engineers quickly started coming to me with their projects and questions and she went behind the scenes and told them in a meeting that i didn't want them bothering me (which was not true in the slightest), so they all stopped consulting with me. i wondered what could be wrong. so one day, i happened to be early for a lunch with the president of the company and he asked me why i was so standoffish i arranged a meeting with him after the fact and he said she went to him and her boss and told them i had requested absolutely no interruptions from the engineers. which was a gigantic fabrication! her boss even wanted to fire me for allegedly not wanting any interaction with the engineers. how can anyone possiblly do their job without interacting with the engineers on a daily/hourly basis?! i had begun forming friendships with these guys too, and they all stopped inviting me to lunch, etc. when the cat was out of the bag, she took a transfer to las vegas. O happy day . the worst part was, she seemed like such a nice person.

Am I being paranoid?

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