Posted 09/09/08 at 06:18:38 PM by Paul Lilly

In the end, it might be easier keeping a problematic IT administrator on board than to let him go. Top level execs take note - according to a new survey, which pinged 300 IT administrators still with a job, a staggering 88 percent admitted they would steal company secrets if they were laid off.

The information IT professionals not-yet-scorned said they'd take include the CEO's passwords, the customer database, R&D plans, financial reports, M&A plans, and the company's list of privileged passwords. And when it comes to that last one, administrators don't even need to be laid off in order to start poking around. More than a third of those surveyed claimed to have used privileged passwords to snoop on the network, look up salaries, and peek at other personnel details assumed to be private.

"Our advice is secure the most privileged data, and routinely change and manage them, so that if an employee's contract is terminated, whether sacked or made redundant, they can't maliciously play havoc inside the network or vindictively steal data for competitive or financial gain," said Udi Mokady, chief executive of security firm Cyber-Ark.

Sound advice, but is it futile?

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Security, Privacy, IT, theft, steal

Posted 08/14/08 at 12:14:18 PM by Paul Lilly

Technological trends may come and go, but every once in awhile they turn out to be more than just temporary fads. Consider that many of today's gamers weren't even born yet in the Atari 2600's heyday, yet 30 years later gaming consoles have become so popular that there exists an entire generation of FPS junkies who actually prefer lining up a headshot with a gamepad instead of using a keyboard and mouse. And speaking of videogames, let's not forget the 3D revolution sparked by the now defunct 3DFX (moment of silence).

More than just fun and games, recognizing lasting fads can prove lucrative for companies and upstarts who ride the hype, but it's not always easy predicting where PCs are headed. If we were to look back 10 years from now, what would we say were most influential technologies of the time? No need to hop into your time machine, because with the help of Gartner Inc., an information technology research and advisory company, we answer that question right now.

Hit the jump to see which of today's technologies are at the pinnacle of their hype cycle.

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Software, technology, hype, hardware, Social Networking, IT, Microblogging, cloud computing, gartner, green, videoconference

Posted 07/18/08 at 11:04:28 AM by Chris Moody

Be wary of the disgruntled IT guy. No really, be wary. He most likely won’t be in to gun anyone down, but he may lock you out of the computer system. That’s just what happened to the City of San Francisco. Terry Childs a network engineer who helped create the city’s new multimillion dollar FiberWan system had reportedly faced disciplinary problems at work. He is now accused of hijacking the city FiberWan system locking out all other Admins.

While the system continues to run normally, administrators can’t make changes to the framework of the system. They’ve called in experts to get into the system but it could take several weeks.

Childs first gave up a bogus password to police. He has now clammed up and is refusing to cooperate. He is currently being held in jail in lieu of $5 million bail.

San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom, described Childs as a formerly well-regarded worker who had apparently turned into a "rogue employee that got a bit maniacal", "He was very good at what he did, and sometimes that goes to people's heads".

Make the jump to see what he's facing.

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network, news, law, IT, Admin, Password, FiberWan, San Francisco

Posted 06/23/08 at 09:51:39 AM by Paul Lilly

Hop online without the aid of a firewall and you may find your PC flooded with malware in only a few short minutes. Just clicking on a malicious link can be enough to infect your rig with a virus. Internet bad guys from the around the globe are constantly on the prowl for vulnerable machines waiting to be hacked, and once inside, these anonymous crooks have free reign over your personal sensitive data. But it's not just international eyes that you need to be worried about, and the person peering at your data may be closer than you think. Wondering who that might be? Click through to find out!

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Security, IT, Admin, Snooping, Password