Or should I worry about privacy as I do with cell phones? I’m talking about very confidential information here…
Thanks in advance for your help!
No, they are not secure at all. Some companies even set up software that intercepts their employees IMs and logs them.
But what about on a home computer (not linked to any other computer)?? Thanks!
Simple answer - no.
See http://www.cert.org/incident_notes/IN-2002-03.html
Also, read up on IM security at http://www.instantmessagingplanet.com/
IMs are sent in plaintext, which means anyone who has access to the network traffic on either end, or at AOL itself, can read the messages.
However, there are some extensions to the various non-official AIM clients that allow you to send messages with PGP encryption. Obviously, the person on the other end has to have the same software or it won’t work.
How could you send an AIM without being connected to another computer? You have to be connected to AOL’s IM service in order to send or recieve messages.
He meant companies.
What I meant was that my computer is not my work computer which my employer would have access to through a network or anything. It’s just a home computer, so presumably my instant message could only be read by the person to whom I was sending it (or can it !?!?)
Your instant message can be read by anyone who has access to the network traffic. The message doesn’t just go from your computer to your friend’s. It goes from your computer, to several routers at your ISP, through routers at various upstream providers, through your friend’s ISP, to your friend’s computer. Any person at any of those places can read your messages.
And email.
And web traffic.
And IRC chats and what you read on Usenet and so on.
Which is why anything you want to send that’s important (like credit card numbers) ought to be encrypted.
Morrison…i hate to break it to you: EVERYTHING YOU DO AND WRITE IS IN A LITTLE FILE CALLED INTERNETPROPERTIES (thats whats mines called) so every signle picture you see every single website name and content is saved. So regularly clean your history folder and cookies and files. Go to Internet Properties and check it out.
Network traffic can be intercepted at any point along the route it travels.
With the sheer volume of IM traffic these days, and the number of potential paths that your message could take, it’s very unlikely that anyone would intercept your message. But if you’re really concerned, get an encrypted IM program, or use snail mail.
Internet Properties isn’t a file or a folder.
I found it. On my computer it’s Internet Options (in "Control Panel). Thanks.
HUH? It is for me.
To expand: yes, cookies and cached files will be stored depending on the settings in your browser (if IE, try Tools > Internet Options). Clearing these manually or through your browser will effectively render them deleted for most purposes. That alone will not stop proprietary software and techniques used by consultancy firms and law enforcement authorities, but unless you’ve done something serious enough to warrant their involvement there’s no need to do more.
Network traffic, however, such as IMs, can be intercepted between computers, as friedo and ultrafilter say, and clearing your temporary internet files has nothing to do with that.
“Internet Properties” isn’t a file or folder. Try finding it on your PC! Cookies are stored (on Windows machines) in folders named COOKIES and TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES. If you’re using IE, there are options within the browser software to delete the files in these folders.
I think FAUXPAS is thinking that the tab buttons in a window correlate to a folder name.
My son downloaded a program called “DeadAim” that was supposed to stop IM popups (at least that’s what he said). As it turned out it logged every IM session on the PC from that point on for every user and put it in an easy-to-read file and it logged the conversations without any indication it was doing it. When I showed him, he turned pale and just about fainted. Of course I removed DeadAim right away but it doesn’t take much to allow IM snooping without being on a network. All you parents of teenagers can have some real fun with it. Just kidding.