In a recent installment of The Register’s ‘Who, Me?’ series, a reader identified as “Curt” shared an amusing yet insightful story from his time as an IT security manager. The incident revolves around a helpdesk manager who consistently ignored company security protocols by leaving his PC logged in, exposing it to potential misuse.
The Setup
Curt’s company had allowed community college students to gain work experience at the helpdesk. These students, noticing the helpdesk manager’s lax security practices, decided to play a prank. They took a screenshot of his desktop and modified the screensaver to display that static image. This effectively created a scenario where the helpdesk manager would see what appeared to be his active desktop, but in reality, it was just a frozen image.
The Fallout
After about a week of this prank, the helpdesk manager began experiencing issues with his PC, claiming it would occasionally lock up and that he needed to re-image the machine. Curt, who was aware of the prank, found humor in the situation. When the helpdesk manager sought his assistance, Curt suggested, “Maybe someone changed your screensaver to a picture of your desktop. Did you try pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del to see if the login box appears?” This prompted the helpdesk manager to investigate further, leading to an expletive-laden realization that he had been the target of a clever joke.
The Lesson Learned
Despite the initial frustration, the helpdesk manager ultimately appreciated the prank. Curt emphasized that the time lost due to the prank was likely far less than the time it would have taken to regularly lock and unlock his PC. The incident served as a reminder of the importance of adhering to security protocols.
Inspiration Behind the Prank
The students revealed that their idea stemmed from observing a company engineer who had a desktop filled with icons for prohibited software, which he used as a joke during remote assistance sessions. This experience inspired the students to replicate the technique, leading to their own prank.
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