Friday, March 29, 2024
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HomeFrom The FieldOh hey, on your way out, can I have the root password...

Oh hey, on your way out, can I have the root password please?

This story takes place while I was a consultant working for a firm out of Texas. For this gig I was sent to a training facility to be their SysAdmin.

I arrive on site at the correct time, and am let into the building. The staff member asks why I’ve shown up, and I respond that I’ve been hired to be a Systems Admin for this site. The guy looked very nonplussed, gave me the root password so I could start looking around, and disappeared into a back room.

Shortly later he leaves the site, leaving me alone.

About an hour later, someone from management shows up and welcomes me there, shows me around, and gives me an in-brief. After seeing the site and learning what they want / need, I ask who the person was who let me in initially.

Turns out it was their old SysAdmin. No one had told him yet…

Of course, anyone who gives their replacement the root password for their systems BEFORE confirming that I was actually legit has some serious security issues that needed to be addressed.

-WOW, that had to be awkward… -Rob

Picture Source: [codepinkhq (CC)]

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