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Author Topic: browsing history help  (Read 4738 times)

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cheetah

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    browsing history help
    « on: May 09, 2013, 06:05:50 PM »
    So I come home from work today and my browser history has been erased(something I never do[and seems to happen more frequently lately]) and I have a feeling that it is my roommate lookin up something he isn't supposed to on my computer. I was looking for a way to find the history, and I remembered a long time ago my friends mother showed me a way that you could check your browsing history (that can't be erased) using your IP address I believe, but for the life of me can't remember how she did it. Is there anyone on here who might be able to help me out with this issue.

    DaveLembke



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    Re: browsing history help
    « Reply #1 on: May 09, 2013, 06:56:06 PM »
    By IP if your router has logging enabled you can look at the history logs in the router and see where someone has gone, but these overwrite themselves after a period of time otherwise the router would run out of memory to log. So its best to look at this as fresh as possible.

    ALSO.... a cool device you can add if you have a PS2 style keyboard jack is a hardware keylogger. They come in various storage capacities, but you can record ALL KEYSTROKES and look at where they went, what they typed etc. So if they went where they shouldnt on your system, you'd know real fast! These devices are cheap too. It plugs in line with your already existing PS2 jacked keyboard of you have this setup. And the only way they can bypass this is if they knew you added this device and remove it and plug the keyboard in directly, then plug it back in line with the keyboard before you get home. So if you say  HEY YOU WENT TO ....... AND THIS IS HOW I KNOW... then its a 1 time use deal because next time they would be unplugging this device! It would be best to make them paranoid probably and say that your system is connected to a internet traffic site and there is no way to bypass it on your computer.

    Personally, I wouldnt leave my computer open for access and would use a difficult password. If they want to surf porn or something else they can do that on their computer instead. The biggest problem you could face is if they are doing soemthing illegal and its your computer. You could be arrested as if you were them!  ::)

    patio

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    Re: browsing history help
    « Reply #2 on: May 09, 2013, 08:00:57 PM »
    Give him a limited account...sooner the better.

    However at the risk of offending the OP this sounds like he's the one trying to dig up browse histories for whatever reasons.
    Good story though...
    " Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "

    cheetah

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      Re: browsing history help
      « Reply #3 on: May 09, 2013, 10:04:22 PM »
      I'm pretty sure that the logs are what she showed me, but I don't know how to access them. I'm pretty sure all she used was internet explorer and something pertaining to her ip address and it called up the log. As for the device it sounds like it might be a neat thing to try out but I'm sure he would probably figure that out and just unplug it, so in this circumstance maybe not so fitting.

      @ patio;
      There's no need for me to get offended as you don't know me. I don't wish to access any other address's simply the one that my computer uses.

      ETA: I did create him a restricted account, but still would like to know what he was looking at as he is denying it even happening.
      « Last Edit: May 09, 2013, 10:20:09 PM by cheetah »

      DaveLembke



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      Re: browsing history help
      « Reply #4 on: May 10, 2013, 04:44:28 PM »
      If you have a router with logging enabled, and if it has this logging feature, since many routers are different from one another, you can get to the router which is probably at 192.168.1.1 if your IP address of the computer is 192.168.1.x where x is any number from 0 to 255, but usually a number from 2 to 255. Most routers default to address of .1 so if you know your IP address of the computer is even 10.10.112.2, then type 10.10.112.1 in the browser and if the router is at that IP you should be greeted with a logon box for username and password. Most routers have a label on them that states the default user and password. Most people keep the same user name and just change the password, while some routers only allow for password change with user name not able to be changed.

      Knowing this username and password, you can then browse in the router log if its enabled and look at where people have gone maybe.

      The other method of getting info is to have a 2nd computer on this shared network and have wireshark running and monitoring all network traffic. You can get tons of info through wireshark, especially if passwords and user names are unencrypted as clear text. Some chat rooms use to show as clear text in which you could probe the network and watch what they are typing on the other computer to post to the chat room etc. BUT Wireshark takes some getting use to. Its a powerful tool if you know how to use it, but if your not an IT guru, it can be a pain to learn to use and decifer a block of information that looks like this below:


      %$ *  J A
      C K  &^%
      WENT &^
      T o &@*!
      *&TH*E#
      %#ST*&
      ORE&^%

      In which the message of "JACK WENT To THE STORE" can be found in clear text unencrypted within the captured ascii data.

      cheetah

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        Re: browsing history help]
        « Reply #5 on: May 10, 2013, 07:40:40 PM »
        Your help the last two days has been awesome; Thank you very much! I found the websites that he had been on and added them to a blocked list so he can't access them. Thankfully enough it hadn't been anything illegal, but I have had a few small viruses so we'll see if thosse blocks stops the viruses from coming.

        Once again Dave it has been much appreciated.

        DaveLembke



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        Re: browsing history help
        « Reply #6 on: May 11, 2013, 11:27:25 PM »
        Glad to help.... curious as to which method worked for you to find the sites?

        patio

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        Re: browsing history help
        « Reply #7 on: May 12, 2013, 06:54:39 AM »
        If the limited account is setup properly he will no longer be able to erase your History...just his own.
        I'd find a new roomate as he cannot show trust...that or lock your PC down appropiately.
        " Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "

        DaveLembke



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        Re: browsing history help
        « Reply #8 on: May 12, 2013, 07:42:34 PM »
        Probably the most dangerous thing this roommate could use to bypass anything blocking them on the local computer would be a Live Linux CD or DVD or USB Thumbdrive. Even if they didnt have the password to the computer, they could boot it up off the disc or USB device and bypass all software security settings and filters and be able to use the computer as well as have admin controls over the C: drive to sneak around and invade privacy etc, then when done they could pop their disc or USB device out and shut it down and pretend they never used it. Windows would have no trace that this had ever happened, unless the roommate dropped a file on desktop or got carried away and altered the system intentionally to change background if they knew the background was say Luckythedog.jpg and they replaced the image file with same file name in same location as the file used for background etc.

        Physical access is a dangerous thing to anyone who knows security work arounds!  ;D

         There is only one other way to lock this system down really well, but I am not going to suggest it, as for if done wrong the user could lock themselves out of their own computer and find it difficult to unlock it.

         I'd hide the computer if you dont want them into it at all. But still interested in finding out which method worked for you to find their history of sites they went to.

        cheetah

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          Re: browsing history help
          « Reply #9 on: May 12, 2013, 10:47:25 PM »
          I managed to access the router and it seemed to have logging set up (probably when the router was set up) so I found what he had been on and gave him crap for it. Unfortunately this person had been a friend of mine for a while, so I thought I could trust him. After I had found out what he had been on I blocked his access to the computer completely (as he persisted to break my trust again and just find other sites). I'm not letting him on without me being around anymore, and not at all for a while.... the little pecker's grounded ::)

          ETA: The guy's worse with computers than me... I'm not worried about him "breaking in"
          « Last Edit: May 12, 2013, 11:12:50 PM by cheetah »

          DaveLembke



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          Re: browsing history help
          « Reply #10 on: May 12, 2013, 11:32:47 PM »
           ;D  LOL  8)

          Unless they figure out how to clear your router via the tiny reset button, it sounds like you have 1 up on them. I wouldnt disclose how you knew what sites they went to, or this person may try to flush out the router which also wipes out all settings back to default and also password back to default password which would make the router prime meat for a hacker to break into.