Blocked at work!

Arrived at the office today. Turned on my computer, ignored the message on our companies intra-web page about new security software.
Eased into the day by preparing some reports and sipping bad instant coffee.
Then got around to checking HBT only to find I have been blocked by my employers security software.
I guess Tobacco/Alcohol is considered objectionable.

Now I will only be able to access the site from my phone or at home. And I stay far away from computers when home.

I was soooo bummed I considered quitting, until I realized that if I quit I would have no money to make beer.
More importantly SWMBO would end me!

So this is likely my last lengthy post for a while . My way of life as I have known it has ceased.
I am curled up in a fetal position in my office chair typin this on my phone.
There maybe a tear in my eye, but then again it may just be dust! Damn office dust!

How big of a company and how restrictive of an IT department are we talking about? There are workarounds...

Use a proxy

I'm so glad I control what does and doesn't get blocked at my work.

hunter_la5 said:

I'm so glad I control what does and doesn't get blocked at my work.

Click to expand...

"Hey, hunter_la5... why is the sex offender registry blocked?"

hunter_la5 said:

I'm so glad I control what does and doesn't get blocked at my work.

Click to expand...

Same here, and I'm also the one that reviews who's accessing what sites. Talk about judge and jury.

Pyg said:

Eased into the day by preparing some reports and sipping bad instant coffee.
Then got around to checking HBT only to find I have been blocked by my employers security software.
I guess Tobacco/Alcohol is considered objectionable.

Click to expand...

The Sophos software on our computer does the same thing. However, it gives me an option to "proceed" along with a warning that the action will be reported.

I don't know who it gets reported to, but if they don't want me learning about homebrewing at work during my 4 hours of downtime, they'll have to fly to my town to stop me.

Security software often blocks proxy servers. But, you might find something they don't know about.

Or you might set up on at home depending on your connection speed.

And I thought there was an alternate URL to access this site that wasn't supposed to be actually blocked. I'll have to ask.

I'm so glad I'm the guy that gets to control the Internet here.

https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en

That should get you around things. "Install" it on a thumb drive. The install process just unzips all the files into the folder you choose. It can run off the thumb drive so you can take it other places too.

Just be prepared for HBT ads in funny looking languages.

I had a great boss once, a genuine cast iron ball-breaker. He and I both started the same day. The IT weasels sent him a report of his people and how much time they spent online and where they went.

I was present when he told them to stop sending them, he didn't care. His only concern was whether our productivity met with his expectations. If it did, he didn't care how much time we spent goofing off, if it didn't, he didn't care how hard we were working.

It got me wondering about the liability of a company that tracks this info. If I'm using a work computer to harass, threaten, or stalk someone online and the company knew about it but didn't take action... aren't they complicit?

To keep this on topic, I do hate the gratuitous use of technology in the workplace.

Your new nickname is "Dyson".....'cause it sucks to be you.

Since I use a laptop in a docking station I can pull the Ethernet cable from the wall and tether through wifi to my phone to bypass the company as needed. Is that an option for you? If you have a desktop, get a USB wifi dongle if the security settings will let you install it.

Or just email your IT guys and see if they can put an exception in the firewall for HBT.

Never hurts to keep an updated resume on hand...

Biscuits said:

Or just email your IT guys and see if they can put an exception in the firewall for HBT.

Click to expand...

It's amazing what a few donations to the IT beer fund can do for a guy...

Homercidal said:

Security software often blocks proxy servers. But, you might find something they don't know about.

Or you might set up on at home depending on your connection speed.

And I thought there was an alternate URL to access this site that wasn't supposed to be actually blocked. I'll have to ask.

I'm so glad I'm the guy that gets to control the Internet here.

Click to expand...

We had to stop it a couple of years ago. You would go to a site called like CPU Help Support Forum and click one of the dots towards the top that was associated with the website you wanted to go to and it would strip most everything out of it.

We also had one that made everything look like code if I'm not mistaken. I'll see I can't get those back up and running. I've heard of other people getting blocked with their work filter.

I'm I the same boat. I actually only used it to check my quotes and likes, which I can do on my phone anyway.

1977Brewer said:

I'm I the same boat. I actually only used it to check my quotes and likes, which I can do on my phone anyway.

Click to expand...

Check this!

douglasbarbin said:

Use a proxy

Click to expand...

I would be terminated on the spot if I tried to do that.

Now I don't know if I would even consider quitting if I couldn't get to HBT from work, but I do get that it sucks. FWIW, I cannot access the internet at all from my work PC on my own network unless I sign into VPN. I am blocked from pretty much every site when I am in the office, even HBT and gmail.com.

I am pro paycheck so I roll with the punches.

I've never actually tried to get on here from my office computer so I don't know if it's allowed or not. THEY'RE WATCHING.

I have gotten blocked a couple times on AT&T "public" WiFi though.

Biscuits said:

Or just email your IT guys and see if they can put an exception in the firewall for HBT.

Click to expand...

Homercidal said:

It's amazing what a few donations to the IT beer fund can do for a guy...

Click to expand...

Never hurts to ask the IT guys. Tell them that you use this site during downtime if they ask. Ask them if they would like to sample your beers (Bri-Beer-y). bribe with beer or baked goods, us IT people almost always feel unloved since you only call us when things are not working or you lost something or are otherwise angry and want to yell at someone. IT even gets left out of bonuses because they are not a for profit part of an enterprise.

can just brows on your phone....

IT can very likely make sure your MAC address has special access, if the company is big enough. But if they use a service, it gets "slightly" trickier, as they have to deal with outside people.

I had to deal with the same thing when I set up an open source filter and the "free" version did not let you do customizing. It blocked everything in the basic filter, and that included beer-related sites. It didn't last long here!

j1n said:

can just brows on your phone....

Click to expand...

It's not working...

Psylocide said:

It's not working...



View attachment 291887

Click to expand...

Eye see what you did there.

Let's FACE it, it's TIME to end these silly puns.

Homercidal said:

Let's FACE it, it's TIME to end these silly puns.

Click to expand...

You can't browbeat us into submission!

Thats is. Two LASHes for each of you!

FirstAidBrewing said:

How big of a company and how restrictive of an IT department are we talking about? There are workarounds...

Click to expand...

I work for a insignificant dept in a govt agency.
I have some IT guys across the hall but most out security is off site.
I am waiting to run into an IT friend to inquire, but until then I will just have to browse with my phone!