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When Sysadmins Go Bad

Posted by michael on from the most-of-them-already-are-of-course dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Here is a story about what can happen when you think you're being oh so clever. This sysadmin planted so-called logic bombs on the systems he was responsible for and then quit. He also tried to game the stock market, buying put options on his former company, hoping to cash in when the disaster he engineered struck. Who can companies trust if they're afraid that this kind of thing can happen? How can they prevent it?"

4 of 487 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Sounded cruel at the time. by ergo98 · · Score: 5, Informative

    How is that cruel? That is absolutely, completely normal administration, and anything less is gross negligence. Indeed, it should be common practice to reset any administrative password that a former employee might have had, and any coworkers password that they may have known: It has nothing to do with trust of mistrust, and even if it was the Pope who just left your employ that is standard protocol.

  2. Configuration Control by Detritus · · Score: 5, Informative

    For critical systems, nothing gets changed without an approved change request. All changes must be examined, tested and approved by someone other than the programmer. You can also have a separate group to maintain the source libraries and to do builds.

    --
    Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
  3. Re:This article isn't very good. Neat story though by Alphix · · Score: 5, Informative

    Put option quick explaination:

    Suppose that the stock of company FooBar is worth $80 today.

    I buy the *option* of selling that stock at $80 in one weeks time (this of course cost me something since there is a risk involved for the entity that I buy this option from).

    Let's say that priviledge costs me $1 (since everybody considers company FooBars stock prices to be quite stable).

    Now, one week later the "bomb" has blown up their computer system and the stock has plunged to $40.

    The option of selling one stock at $80 is now worth $40 since the stock is currently priced at 40$. I don't even have to own the stock since someone who does can buy the option from me instead.

    In total I've made 39$ on an investment of 1$ in one weeks time.

  4. Re:Sounded cruel at the time. by Courageous · · Score: 5, Informative

    At my place of work, if you are given a termination notice, you continue to be paid for a month, and have access to your office and electronic accounts the entire time. You aren't expected to conduct company work during this time. Instead, you have free use of your office to hunt for another job.

    C//