Network administrators

[VenomousSVT]

For you guys that are actual network admins, I just had to get on a user pc to install autodesk 2015 and found multiple bitcoin mining programs loaded on his machine. This is obviously against our TOS and our company rules and regulations for PC use. I just spoke with my boss and have recorded it down as a security issue here and hes going to decide where he wants me to move with this. What kind of things do your "users" try and get away with that blows your mind on company pc's (excluding looking at porn)

 

[CompOrange04GT]

I browse SVTP

 

[focussvtracer]

snitches get stitches

 

[O.W. Kenobeno]

Our subordinate sites have folks with too many privileges and they're always installing something stupid like a wierd toolbar that's associated with spambots or other crap. The other thing is we have users downloading ***.pdf.exe files thinking it's a real UPS receipt. I catch 99.9% of the crap people do and since we're a mil/gov entity it's easy to create task orders making folks remove the stuff while their security admins bonk them over the head.

My fav - busted a guy in a classified office plugging in his iPod. I can even see the label, "Mike's iPod". He denied it over and over, claiming he only plugged in his e-cig charger (it has a USB charger). With his leadership present he plugged that back in and go no notification it was blocked, proving he was lying. He got escorted out the door immediately. You can't lie and hold a security clearance.

In Afghanistan we'd bust everyone plugging crap in and had a wall of shame where we screwed thumb drives, ipods, and a new iPad to the wall, with screws right through the middle of each device.

Bitcoin - you gotta have a hella high performance machine or multiple machines in order to even make a profit doing that.

 

[PaladinMan187]

I'm in a secure building and we were joking one day about powering up several rows of the spare servers and doing exactly that *bitcoin mining*. IT WAS A JOKE! I know my sys admins probably can read this and I'm not going to deny it. ITS STILL FUNNY TO JOKE ABOUT but we aren't stupid enough to do it. I had someone whom just got admin rights pop in on my computer just to be nosy, his access was pulled within HOURS. They don't take things like you're referring to lightly around here. Hell, I'm afraid to plug a personal USB mouse into my system. You can't do dumb crap like that and expect the Security Officers to think its a good idea to let you keep a clearance.

 

[RDJ]

proxy servers .... people do that shit all the time.

 

[VenomousSVT]

snitches get stitches

We all get paid to do our jobs.. It just so happens my role involves network security.

 

[VenomousSVT]

proxy servers .... people do that shit all the time.

When we had a proxy server setup people got way more done on a daily basis IMHO.. When they had to log in to get to the Internet it scared them away from doing dumb sh!t

 

[JasonSnake]

Yahoo Toolbar.

 

[thomas91169]

you should take his coinz and call it even.

IMO you should be able to do whatever you want as long as you are still doing your job as required.

 

[O.W. Kenobeno]

I've cleaned up too many people's messes because of that opinion to agree with you.

 

[VenomousSVT]

you should take his coinz and call it even.

IMO you should be able to do whatever you want as long as you are still doing your job as required.

I would agree with you to an extent.. However in this case, he's using the company pc which is putting that much more of a load on the machine that he doesn't own, he's also allowing network traffic in and out on our company network, not to mention he's running 3d modeling which requires enough resources to run by itself let alone it slowing down his productivity.

At the end of the day, if I let you borrow my car for the day, it's not cool if you paint it, shred the tires, change the headlights, all because you were still able to drive it. It's not yours to modify. I don't come to your house to print a document and while I'm there start downloading torrent files and watching movies.

 

[VenomousSVT]

I've cleaned up too many people's messes because of that opinion to agree with you.

I think if your doing your job and making you're "quota" for lack of better terms, that if you want to listen to your ipod or talk on the phone some or even eat and get fat while you're working then so be it. But when you're modifying something that's not yours, which in turn makes my job harder then it's BS.

 

[Machdup1]

I find everything on PC's. I generally don't hold it against end users, unless they are doing something malicious or outright stupid. Most of the time, the end user is a victim in the situation. When I find something, I run through the normal drill: Remove PC from network, Identify the bug, identify the source, identify the method of infection, identify the damage, reevaluate defenses and adjust and then slick the box and rebuild/reload.

If the end user was doing something stupid, I report it to the appropriate management and let them decide what to do about it. I don't take it personal, it is just business, anyways without all of these issues, we would all be unemployed.

The only people I hold it against is hackers and the folks that write the bugs. If the United States ever is looking for people to find and kill them, rather than just monitor and defend, let me know. I have spent many a sleepless night because of those ****ers, and they all deserve to die in a fire.

 

[DriftwoodSVT]

I had some idiot bring in an external USB with about 350 GB of data from another agency including SSN and dump it on to a network drive. That didn't last long.

Also frequently have people storing their music, personal photos and videos on our network. I recently wacked 8000 .jpgs from one guys directory and about 3000 MP3 from another user. They get no warning from me, it's just removed.

Lastly, we had one lady quit a while back and she left about 100 photos of her from a Burlesque photo shoot she did.. and she was nice looking.

It's especially funny when people try to hide personal files in a folder called 'work related' or whatever. Like we won't see it.

Can't believe the crap people try to store on my network. About every other week I use tree size to scan for music, videos and photos to keep on top of it.

 

[Prototype007]

Yahoo Toolbar.

^ This, Ask toolbar from what is most likely Java related updates, and Chrome/Firefox thinking they can bypass security since it's not IE.

 

[O.W. Kenobeno]

Funny story - had a young Marine in Afghanistan put alot of personal data on his 'approved' external hard drive. Problem was, there was a virus in his data so it flagged. Of course we remotely looked at the contents of his drive. The young man had a flock of young ladies photos in various stages of undress.

We tiled images of the girls up on a big screen and the MSGT called him in to chew him out. After the chewing was done we turned on the big screen and the MSGT asked if any of those girls was now single. The look as he saw those photos on the screen for everyone else to see was priceless and we had a great laugh at his expense

 

[O.W. Kenobeno]

I think if your doing your job and making you're "quota" for lack of better terms, that if you want to listen to your ipod or talk on the phone some or even eat and get fat while you're working then so be it. But when you're modifying something that's not yours, which in turn makes my job harder then it's BS.

This. We can't all be drones staring at the screen and doing nothing else but there are limits. As a contractor my limits are alot stricter than the gov/mil folks I work with (I miss being active duty sometimes). Contractors are expected to earn every single dollar they're paid.

 

[SirShaun]

I've dealt with an officer getting fired over looking at porn on their work blackberry.

Last one was kind of weird however. Part timer was looking at faces of death, jews being burned, woman torture porn, all kinds of messed up stuff. They gave him the option to resign and he took it.

The most entertaining part is seeing them try to lie and avoid the outcome.

I am out of County Government IT now and am a System Admin overseeing a bunch of servers. My days of busting people are over at least for now.

 

[thomas91169]

I would agree with you to an extent.. However in this case, he's using the company pc which is putting that much more of a load on the machine that he doesn't own, he's also allowing network traffic in and out on our company network, not to mention he's running 3d modeling which requires enough resources to run by itself let alone it slowing down his productivity.

At the end of the day, if I let you borrow my car for the day, it's not cool if you paint it, shred the tires, change the headlights, all because you were still able to drive it. It's not yours to modify. I don't come to your house to print a document and while I'm there start downloading torrent files and watching movies.

Its not really "modifying" anything.

Its a program that runs on the computer within the limits of the PC. He didnt add any hardware to perform this task, he didnt change any part of Windows. It likely uses less resources than Outlook.

Do you have proof of his productivity being affected? Or are you one of those that just simply believe everyone should sit in front of a PC for 8hrs at a time and do nothing but balls out work? All the while you are coming onto a forum during work time?

To me, it would be like if you let me use a company car for company uses, but on the way to work or home I had to pick up groceries or swing by the bank. Sure im using company property to perform a task for myself, but is it really impacting the vehicle? Am I using that much more fuel doing so? Not likely. I didnt modify the vehicle to perform this task so thats a non-issue.