10 Things Your IT Department Won't Tell You

[lanux128]

TechRepublic's rebuttal on this article published by Wall Street Journal. i thought the article dispensed much basic info, rather innocuous.


• http://blogs.techrep...com.com/hiner/?p=528

[Darwin]

Interesting reads (both the original article and the rebuttal). Thanks for posting it 

[Renegade]

That was horribly irresponsible on their part to publish that kind of stuff. At the beginning of the rebuttal, while reading the top 10 list, I just about shit myself looking at it.

How about this for a top 10 list:

How to innocently sabotage your computer and company...

1. Open all email attachements.
2. Click all links in emails.
3. Download and install as many "warez" as possible.
4. Download and install as much no-name free software as possible from super-glitzy sites that gives you free movies, music and porn.
5. Surf more porn.
6. Surf more illegal porn.
7. Disable your anti-virus software. It's only soaking up CPU and protecting you anyways.
8. Disable any firewalls. See #7.
9. Disable any anti-spyware software. See #7.
10. Forward all emails to all co-workers along with this list.

Did I miss anything?

[Paul Keith]

http://www.walyou.co...stumbleupon-toolbar/

Yes.

Install instant messengers and all toolbars you run into. Remember the more toolbars you have on your browser, the cooler you are.

Use Norton and AVG and instead of educating everybody on how to update them, make them get used to schedulers.

Give the entire office staff warez games and motivate them to search for more cracks.

Troubleshoot your problems by ignoring safer alternatives and continue using the same software over and over again and blame it on the internet when things slow down.

[justice]

Pay using the company credit card on betting sites, that always is appreciated.

[40hz]

I shudder at the potential fallout that article might cause - along with the fate of the techno-wienies that blindly decide to try some of it.

99.9% of the time, violating company IT guidelines will get you nothing more than a verbal warning from your boss. But then there's that 0.1% time when something you've done causes a major network outage, server crash, malware infestation, DMCA/EULA violation, or security breach. Then the following scenario usually plays out:

Imagine this little talk being given to you in your employer's personnel office

INTERIOR Interviewing Room

[Senior Manager from Human Resources enters with her administrative assistant - briefly nods to the Security Guard sitting in the corner chair - sits down across from you at the small conference table - opens a folder containing you personnel file - looks directly at you...smiles...and begins to speak:]

Good morning.

Remember that all those little pieces of paper you signed when you got hired?

Do you remember the one that had a paragraph that talked about acceptable uses of corporate IT equipment and networks. And also that long paragraph about certain activities that are not permitted? And that bit of indecipherable legal gobeldy-gook about "irreparable harm" and "unlimited financial losses" and "personally liable" and "legal action" towards the bottom? And also that paragraph above your signature that stated you read, understood, and agreed to all that stupid stuff above it?

No? You don't remember?

Well here's your reminder:

1. You deliberately disregarded rules you agreed to in writing as a condition of your employment.

2. You're fired.

3. Please expect a call from our attorneys - who will be initiating civil and possible criminal proceedings against you.

The Guard will escort you out. Have a nice day.

[Stoic Joker]

So I wonder how many of the WSJ's staff are now playing with this little Bag-of-Tricks?!?

...I guess if their network get blown to bits any time soon we'll know why, huh?

[Deozaan]

The original article's #10 tip wasn't even accurate! Since when does pressing Alt-Tab minimize the current window?

[lanux128]

from my experience, corporate IT takes pre-emptive actions and the target audience of the article happened to be members of the corporate circle. so these IT departments would have locked down most of suggested methods even before they were to be tried.

it's must have been a slow day at WSJ's Tech and this article is just meant to create some rustle up discussions among IT cliques.

[cranioscopical]

This discussion in all well and good, but who among you is going to help me work out which of my 11 new toolbars will eradicate this virus?

[Shades]

The one in the middle?

 

[40hz]

from my experience, corporate IT takes pre-emptive actions and the target audience of the article happened to be members of the corporate circle. so these IT departments would have locked down most of suggested methods even before they were to be tried.

-lanux128 (September 09, 2008, 08:21 PM)

In many cases yes. But that won't necessarily keep somebody from getting fired just for trying. More and more companies are initiating zero-tolerance policies for IT rules violations. I don't know which would be a sadder story: getting sacked for doing somthing stupid; or getting sacked for trying to do something stupid.

it's must have been a slow day at WSJ's Tech and this article is just meant to create some rustle up discussions among IT cliques.

Probably more of a rustle in the "middle management" cliques, where the definition of "technically savvy" is a guy who skims PC Magazine once a month.

I doubt WSJ was addressing the IT crowd. Most of them don't read it anyway - unless the company they work for is getting ready for an IPO. Besides, the IT guys are usually up on this stuff months before the general press catches wind of it. Especially if they have a high school age child in the house!

[40hz]

This discussion in all well and good, but who among you is going to help me work out which of my 11 new toolbars will eradicate this virus?

-cranioscopical (September 09, 2008, 09:44 PM)

Umm...there's a 12th toolbar you can download that will fix that. Just web over to www.imnotamalwaresite-really.ru and grab your free copy of SexyTeens AntiVirus Toolbar Pro.

[cmpm]

Our work computers are locked down pretty tight.
Can't get much, although there are ways around things.
But this would get you fired most likely.

It's happened more then once and they are very serious about it.
They can pick up on your activities and print out each click and keystroke for at least the past 30 days.

Usually alerted by a virus alert that the Tech Department will pick up from any computer or laptop on the system.