RANT: People at work not liking their computers touched

[zixxer]

I work as a computer tech at a local company.. and I am sick and tired of people that don't want to give out their network logon pass. I can reset it or logon as admin .. but it's easier for them to give out their pass. (as in, with a notes install you need to be logged in as the person who uses it.. so the only option is resetting their password.)

Example:
Someone needs notes updated.. I email them explaining I am updating notes, and I will need their network logon pass,
they respond with "They'd be more comfortable if they were there when I did it"

I respond with "It takes about an hour or so not including any issues that might come up, and it needs to be done after hours so noone's time is wasted.


They never respond.
What I've started doing is resetting their pass, and then they come up all embarassed asking why they cannot logon

cliff notes:
people where I work consider their work computers their property. It's annoying when you need to administer it.

 

[notfred]

I fricking hate Notes. POS... I wish we used outlook, or, well, anything but Notes.

 

[GoingUp]

Yea, but it would be like you sittin in their chair, and havin them get pissed over it, technically its the compainies chair, but they feel as if its part of their territory. I always have the users enter their passwords here and then I modify notes.

As an admin, you should be glad that users aren't giving out their passwords freely.

 

[T3C]

thats why we dont give them a choice, everyone has to regiester ther username and pssword with me. That way i can do what i need to do without dealing with them. you should look into that

 

[TJN23]

yeah it isnt their property but i can see where they're coming from....here's an intimidating IT guy who they dont know and suspect could be rummaging through their personal stuff....i can def. see why they'd rather have you there while you do it...if it takes over an hour then perhaps some other way of reassuring them that their privacy is somewhat intact

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: cybpnk
thats why we dont give them a choice, everyone has to regiester ther username and pssword with me. That way i can do what i need to do without dealing with them. you should look into that

That sounds like a good idea.

I usually set it up where they can change their pass the very first time they log on.. I might start forcing them to tell me what it is at that moment..

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: cybpnk
thats why we dont give them a choice, everyone has to regiester ther username and pssword with me. That way i can do what i need to do without dealing with them. you should look into that

I'm sure we'd consider that a securiy risk.

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: TJN23
yeah it isnt their property but i can see where they're coming from....here's an intimidating IT guy who they dont know and suspect could be rummaging through their personal stuff....

That is THE point, there shouldn't be any personal stuff. There isn't any privacy, and shouldn't be.

You shouldn't have ANYTHING on your work computer that you are not completely willing to allow anyone to see.

 

[zixxer]

That being said..

if there's a personal laptop that needs notes I don't expect them to give any passes, or anything like that at all

 

[Vic]

The computer is company property, not employee property.

 

[TJN23]

Originally posted by: se7enty7

Originally posted by: TJN23
yeah it isnt their property but i can see where they're coming from....here's an intimidating IT guy who they dont know and suspect could be rummaging through their personal stuff....

That is THE point, there shouldn't be any personal stuff. There isn't any privacy, and shouldn't be.

You shouldn't have ANYTHING on your work computer that you are not completely willing to allow anyone to see.

i understand that, but say their logon pass is the same as their "yahoo email" pass...who's to say you couldn't later go home and open up a browser and hack their personal email...

 

[Mutilator]

It's against CFR Part 11 compliance for users to give out their passwords to anyone including admins.

If something needs to be done under their name, they're there with me. If not I log in under my own name.

 

[TJN23]

the point is that all users aren't perfect users...they will do dumb things like use the same password everywhere...bored IT guys will get curious and try to hack into their stuff perhaps in their own time while not using company property....guess there's a fine line here...

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: TJN23

Originally posted by: se7enty7

Originally posted by: TJN23
yeah it isnt their property but i can see where they're coming from....here's an intimidating IT guy who they dont know and suspect could be rummaging through their personal stuff....

That is THE point, there shouldn't be any personal stuff. There isn't any privacy, and shouldn't be.

You shouldn't have ANYTHING on your work computer that you are not completely willing to allow anyone to see.

i understand that, but say their logon pass is the same as their "yahoo email" pass...who's to say you couldn't later go home and open up a browser and hack their personal email...

Nothing except their idiocy. Not to mention the fact that if I really wanted to do something like that to someone who works here I wouldn't need to go that route to do it.

I have three seperate passwords
1 ) pass for work important stuff only for me
2 ) pass for work unimportant (personal logon, etc.)
3 ) pass for home stuff

 

[Jzero]

What kinda whackass enterprises are you guys running? I spend my days trying to convince users NOT to write their passwords down or just rattle it off to any joe six-pack who claims to be an admin or tech! Your userid is YOU! Someone logged in under your userid can do whatever they want, and it's all gonna trace back to YOU!

I can understand your frustration with the users not responding, although we'd also wring your neck if you reset someone's password and didn't have proof that you at least informed them that you were going to do so.

Expecting them to just give you their password is piss-poor security practice.

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: TJN23
the point is that all users aren't perfect users...they will do dumb things like use the same password everywhere...bored IT guys will get curious and try to hack into their stuff perhaps in their own time while not using company property....guess there's a fine line here...

Show me a bored IT guy

*realizes he's sitting here.. bored.. posting on atot..*

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: Mutilator
It's against CFR Part 11 compliance for users to give out their passwords to anyone including admins.

If something needs to be done under their name, they're there with me. If not I log in under my own name.

True dat!

I feel sorry for the employees. First thing you tell them is, "Choose a password and don't tell anybody." Next thing you know, you're asking them to tell you their password.

Just have them login for you.

amish

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Jzero
What kinda whackass enterprises are you guys running? I spend my days trying to convince users NOT to write their passwords down or just rattle it off to any joe six-pack who claims to be an admin or tech! Your userid is YOU! Someone logged in under your userid can do whatever they want, and it's all gonna trace back to YOU!

I can understand your frustration with the users not responding, although we'd also wring your neck if you reset someone's password and didn't have proof that you at least informed them that you were going to do so.

Expecting them to just give you their password is piss-poor security practice.

Each user has account restrictions.. anyone that .. well.. most people don't have access to do any damage anyway.. even logging in from outside..

 

[TJN23]

it doesn't matter...try for one second to erase all of your technical intellectual ability....put yourself in their shoes...they don't know what you're doing....idiots-thats my point, there are idiots out there so i'm trying to tell you why they can get offended by giving out passwords...

edit: about the bored IT guy thing, arent you the author of this post se7enty7??

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish

Originally posted by: Mutilator
It's against CFR Part 11 compliance for users to give out their passwords to anyone including admins.

If something needs to be done under their name, they're there with me. If not I log in under my own name.

True dat!

I feel sorry for the employees. First thing you tell them is, "Choose a password and don't tell anybody." Next thing you know, you're asking them to tell you their password.

Just have them login for you.

amish

The issue is that some things take a long ass time to do

also notes stuff I HAVE to have their passes. period.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: se7enty7

Originally posted by: TJN23
yeah it isnt their property but i can see where they're coming from....here's an intimidating IT guy who they dont know and suspect could be rummaging through their personal stuff....

That is THE point, there shouldn't be any personal stuff. There isn't any privacy, and shouldn't be.

You shouldn't have ANYTHING on your work computer that you are not completely willing to allow anyone to see.

Nobody gives a crap about personal stuff. Maybe they think they do, but what they should be concerned about is you logging in as John Doe, and then stealing/destroying client X's confidential/proprietary data. Then when management finds out and asks Info Security WTF happened, John Doe's name is all over the logs.

 

[randal]

Honestly, I'd be glad that your employees are a little paranoid about their PCs and logins. I wish my coworkers were such -- they'll give up near any computer info at the drop of a hat

*beats employees with a stick, then tears network cables from the wall*

randal

 

[TJN23]

exactly, in the working world people only care about one thing, and that is themselves...i'm still in college but its easy to see that people constantly look out for their own backs - their job security. giving out their password to a tech is not a way to potentially feel secure about the future of your job

 

[Jzero]

The issue is that some things take a long ass time to do

also notes stuff I HAVE to have their passes. period.

They just have to deal. They should be there to monitor the process and login as necessary.