I tend to think less of my users for not recognizing what I deem to be blatantly obvious. I thought it was a good point that we should be more tolerant and respectful of our 'clients' as they provide our job security. In the extreme - the more issues they have (and directions they ignore) the more necessary it is to have people that can 'make it work.' I do like being the 'hero' even if all I do is plug in the power. I LIKE the problems I can fix. It is a reward for the problems I spend extensive time trying to solve.
Just my perspective. Shauna From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Intel developing security 'game-changer' Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:23:54 +0000 If it is House he will probably call you an idiot at both visits so you can’t win in that particular case :-] From: Jonathan Link [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 7:20 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Intel developing security 'game-changer' Beyond the pale of idiocy. Outside the ordinary decent bounds, it's a pretty easily understood phrase, such as the scenarios you present, they are beyond the pale. Say you go to the doctor, complaining of some symptom and he tells you to stop a behavior and that symptom will go away. Next year, same complaint, but you haven't given up the behavior, how do you think he's going to handle you? On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 10:14 PM, Ken Schaefer <[email protected]> wrote: That didn’t sound like your point at all. You said : Ignoring advice of using a compromised computer to buy a widget with a debit card is beyond the pale. From: Jonathan Link [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, 28 January 2011 11:12 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Intel developing security 'game-changer' My statement didn't exempt anyone from exhibiting idiocy. My point is if you're going to ask for advice, and the proceed to ignore that advice and still want my assistance, expect to pay a higher/additional price. To answer your specific items, see inline On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 9:52 PM, Ken Schaefer <[email protected]> wrote: People do things all the time that they are admonished not to. How many people here have: - never spoken on a mobile phone whilst driving a car I have a hands free system in my car - never smoked a cigarette I avoid smoking, but I have been known to enjoy a cigar - never failed to switch off your electronic devices whilst on an airborne plane after being directed I do shut off devices, I've directed a traveller next to me to do so, as well. - etc (I realise that the last one doesn't really have any impact on the flying off the plane, but none the less you are being directed by someone in authority to do something, yet didn't) And then there are the cases where your friend/family/whatever recommends that you don't buy xyz product, or don't visit xyz shop or whatever. Does everyone always follow that advise? Or put on safety goggles when doing work in the garage or whatever. The fact of the matter is that people take *risks* all the time. Despite advice to the contrary. Sometimes it's: a) the way we communicate the message - just saying "don't do it" isn't sufficient for some people I try and explain why it's bad, such as they're going to get your credit card, or get access to other information on your computer, if they haven't already done so. Leave it off until I can look at it. b) the regard in which we are held - we are not always seen as "god" I don't pretend to be god, I present myself as a professional. If you come to me asking for a professional opinion and then ignore it, well, that is your choice, but don't expect me to bend over backwards to help you, either. c) what people perceive the risks to be, and how likely they think the risk will. If people think "this will never happen to me" then they'll go and go it anyway. Careful explanation of why doing something in a) is bad is the beginning, explaining how I arrived at that opinion is part of b) and c) is, if they are going to do it because they can't stave off the impluse, or because they have no choice are two different things. Cheers Ken -----Original Message----- From: Jonathan Link [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, 28 January 2011 8:02 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Intel developing security 'game-changer' To ignore the advice of an expert you are relying on for advice/work to be done is idiocy. I don't consider my users idiots until they give me cause. Ignoring advice of using a compromised computer to buy a widget with a debit card is beyond the pale. On Thursday, January 27, 2011, Shauna Hensala <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > I thought it was good - remarkably astute. We all know different things - to > classify someone as an idiot because they don't know the things you know is a > fallacy. Plus the sigh correlation was good for a chuckle! > > > Subject: Re: Intel developing security 'game-changer' > From: [email protected] > Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:31:07 -0500 > To: [email protected] > > Sensitive as always. :) > > > William J. RobbinsEnterprise Infrastructure OperationsOffice of > Information ManagementDeloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited On Jan 27, 2011, at > 18:25, "Gary Slinger" <[email protected]> wrote: > > What a load of hippy crap. What part of "don't use that system" has to be > explained in kindergarten terms to a user? > > They're not "special", they're "idiots". > From: Steven Peck <[email protected]> > Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:22:28 -0800To: NT System Admin > Issues<[email protected]>ReplyTo: "NT System Admin Issues" <[email protected]>Subject: Re: Intel developing security 'game-changer' > We all have our share of special users. Those are interesting stories. Some > of us have our share of educational victories as well. Those that learn after getting the right information after only one or two bad experiences. > > For instance, I have this thing in my kitchen that makes things hot (my wife > calls it an oven). If I have a recipe that I follow I can get an > approximation of edible food. Sometimes I get lucky and it's really good, > other times it's merely a lesson in what doesn't work. In the cooking world I am that 'special user'. Fortunately my wife does not mock me for it, although I am beginning to suspect a correlation between my attempts to bake and her loud sighs, I may have to chart the occurrences. > > For our special users (even our general ones), we must remember that people > learn differently and often we must craft our educational message to fit our > users ability to comprehend. Educating people on social engineering is a > rather time consuming task. Lot's to be learned from the advertising fields in how to present the same overall message in different formats for user consumption. > > Steven Peck > <http://www.blkmtn.org>http://www.blkmtn.org > > > > On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 2:00 PM, Rankin, James R <[email protected]> > wrote: > I had a home user recently showing all the signs of malware. I told him not > to use his pc till I could look at it. And he went and made a purchase with > his debit card. Against that sort of idiocy, we admins are doomed to fail. > Typed frustratingly slowly on my BlackBerry® wireless device > From: David Lum <[email protected]> > Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:55:37 -0800To: NT System Admin > Issues<[email protected]> > ReplyTo: "NT System Admin Issues" > <[email protected]>Subject: RE: Intel developing security > 'game-changer' > > You mean I'm not supposed to enter my Visa number at a site that will give me > winning lottery numbers on an animated stripper card that includes a free > registry and spyware scan and install AntiVirus 2069? > Who knew? > Dave > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
