Re: [9fans] a few Q's regarding cpu/auth server

[Daniel Lyons <fusion@storytotell.org>]

On Aug 6, 2009, at 10:19 PM, lucio@proxima.alt.za wrote:

>> I have direct experience as a contractor where I have entered
>> many a co-lo; and was unimpressed with their security to say the  
>> least.
>> I had constant and easy access to a large number of nameless servers,
>> it's a nobrainer to access keyboard/monitor pairs in many of these  
>> places.
>
> That would be vandalism.  You didn't indulge in it, why would you
> expect someone else in your situation to do differently?  Or are you
> lying to us?


Story time. :)

Several years ago I worked for a company here that had decided to  
colocate a server locally (yeah, brilliant, in Albuquerque) instead of  
getting a hosted server somewhere with better access. I wound up going  
down there a few times to add RAM to the system. Apart from my  
company, there were a smattering of other smalltimers with big tower  
computers from Dell on this rack and off on the other side of the  
facility was a fenced off area with four or five racks of Dell  
hardware. The owner casually mentioned to me that the company who  
owned the racks had something to do with airline ticket sales. I guess  
because I chuckled at that, he also mentioned to me that the computer  
next to ours was hosting the governor's re-election website. I thought  
about doing something malicious, because I'm not a big fan of  
Richardson, but decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

Later on one of the owners of the colo facility got bought out and  
blew up. He went into the facility and ripped out the primary router,  
then took the upstream cable and plugged it into another port on the  
backup router such that the packets wound up going in a cycle. Then he  
damaged the backup power system and flew out the door with the primary  
router.

Not really taking a position here but your comments reminded me of the  
story. I guess there's always a bigger jerk out there and sometimes he  
runs your colo facility.

—
Daniel Lyons