yep, I’m a sysadmin and we do this to people. We’ll invalidate their password by forcing a password change, but if you miss the password change window (it’s usually timelocked), their existing password will become invalid, and they’ll need to call us to have it reset, then they try to change it back to what it was but password history is on, so they can’t use any of the last x passwords (usually 3, but it can vary); and it’s interesting to watch them struggle to set a password that complies with complexity, length and history requirements. It usually takes 5-10 attempts before they find one that works.
As a sysadmin: no, I don’t know what your password is, they’re all hashed and salted on the back end. No, I don’t want to know what your password is, I don’t care, I can reset it at any time and override the locks we have on your files that only allow you to see your own data, and gain access to pretty much anything at any time. I have my own set of credentials that are admin level and I can do whatever I want with that. Related, unless asked, I don’t do anything regarding your data, since I’m too busy to bother snooping through whatever you have saved; this is also a moral and ethical problem, and can lead to me being dismissed if I do it without just cause. The only people with the authority to ask me to do that are basically the executives of the company and the police. Short of you being investigated for something you’ve done wrong on the systems I manage on behalf of a company, your data is private, with a very high level of probability that the privacy of your data will never be compromised unless you depart the company as an employee, in which case your email is probably going to get transferred to someone else, and/or your data will be exposed to find any relevant notes/files for ongoing projects that you were assigned.
Long story short: don’t do sketchy/illegal shit on work computers/systems. The systems are not yours and the data on them is entirely the property of your employer, regardless of how it ended up on the system. I get that you want pictures of your grandchildren or favorite pet as your desktop wallpaper, but you’re handing them rights to use those images if you put those files on your work computer. It’s EXTREMELY RARE that someone’s personal photos will be used for any reason, even if they’re found on a work system, but it’s not impossible. Let work be separate from your personal, and just leave the system as-is. Do your work and go home. If you really feel the need to have such photos, go to a photolab and print them off, put them in a frame and place them at your desk; that’s considered a personal effect and such items are still your belongings, and the company cannot take possession of them whether you work there or not. Don’t sign into personal email or accounts during work time, if you must, use incognito or private browsing, or be a normal, sane person and just use your personal cellphone.
yep, I’m a sysadmin and we do this to people. We’ll invalidate their password by forcing a password change, but if you miss the password change window (it’s usually timelocked), their existing password will become invalid, and they’ll need to call us to have it reset, then they try to change it back to what it was but password history is on, so they can’t use any of the last x passwords (usually 3, but it can vary); and it’s interesting to watch them struggle to set a password that complies with complexity, length and history requirements. It usually takes 5-10 attempts before they find one that works.
As a sysadmin: no, I don’t know what your password is, they’re all hashed and salted on the back end. No, I don’t want to know what your password is, I don’t care, I can reset it at any time and override the locks we have on your files that only allow you to see your own data, and gain access to pretty much anything at any time. I have my own set of credentials that are admin level and I can do whatever I want with that. Related, unless asked, I don’t do anything regarding your data, since I’m too busy to bother snooping through whatever you have saved; this is also a moral and ethical problem, and can lead to me being dismissed if I do it without just cause. The only people with the authority to ask me to do that are basically the executives of the company and the police. Short of you being investigated for something you’ve done wrong on the systems I manage on behalf of a company, your data is private, with a very high level of probability that the privacy of your data will never be compromised unless you depart the company as an employee, in which case your email is probably going to get transferred to someone else, and/or your data will be exposed to find any relevant notes/files for ongoing projects that you were assigned.
Long story short: don’t do sketchy/illegal shit on work computers/systems. The systems are not yours and the data on them is entirely the property of your employer, regardless of how it ended up on the system. I get that you want pictures of your grandchildren or favorite pet as your desktop wallpaper, but you’re handing them rights to use those images if you put those files on your work computer. It’s EXTREMELY RARE that someone’s personal photos will be used for any reason, even if they’re found on a work system, but it’s not impossible. Let work be separate from your personal, and just leave the system as-is. Do your work and go home. If you really feel the need to have such photos, go to a photolab and print them off, put them in a frame and place them at your desk; that’s considered a personal effect and such items are still your belongings, and the company cannot take possession of them whether you work there or not. Don’t sign into personal email or accounts during work time, if you must, use incognito or private browsing, or be a normal, sane person and just use your personal cellphone.
Oof I have colleagues that use the company phone as their personal and will not buy their own.
Classic mistake.