Mess with your coworkers today

November 11, 2005 5:43 AM

It's Friday. It's early. You beat your coworkers into the office. Now for some fun go load up the Office Poltergeist server onto their machines, note their IP address, and wait a few hours. Later today you can send text to their screen, send sounds, move their windows slightly, and open their CD tray. If you're careful, you can probably keep pranking someone for hours using this. [via MeFi Projects]
posted by mathowie (26 comments total)

If only I worked in an office...
posted by Lotto at 5:47 AM on November 11, 2005

You might want to double check that doing this sort of thing won't get you fired first. I know that it would in my office.

[I have 10 mins left of personal web use left so I'll be moving on...]
posted by i_cola at 5:51 AM on November 11, 2005

Don't just repost things from your own blog, Matt!
posted by NinjaPirate at 5:53 AM on November 11, 2005

In my office today there are:
a: me.
b: my boss.

Eugh.

Downloading now...
posted by 13twelve at 6:02 AM on November 11, 2005

(if I get sacked by the end of the day - will someone where give me a job?)
posted by 13twelve at 6:02 AM on November 11, 2005

MeFi Projects *works*! Now, why does this window keep resiz- hey, did the cd tray just op- argfhhhghf

*NO CARRIER*
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:02 AM on November 11, 2005

(I am not 13twelve's boss)
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:03 AM on November 11, 2005

Currently, unemployed. Hey, #1, can I have a job loading prank software on your servers?
posted by Eideteker at 6:18 AM on November 11, 2005

I downloaded the server and controller thinking I'd stick them on my thumbdrive for quick easy access the next time someone walks away without securing their PC. But McAfee deleted both of the downloads immediately, saying they were infected by the OP-CVH Trojan, or something like that. Not saying they're malicious files, but this might hamper using them on somebody's PC if that person (or the corporate LAN boys) are using McAfee or similar protection.
posted by Bradley at 6:25 AM on November 11, 2005

Who do you think you are? Sony?
posted by srboisvert at 6:27 AM on November 11, 2005

Sounds suspiciously like BackOrifice of old.
posted by trey at 6:28 AM on November 11, 2005

r00t
posted by eddydamascene at 6:32 AM on November 11, 2005

Woot! Trojans are cool!
posted by null terminated at 6:53 AM on November 11, 2005

you keep your trojans in the freezer?
posted by pyramid termite at 7:03 AM on November 11, 2005

AVG doesnt see it as a virus or trojan
posted by 13twelve at 7:05 AM on November 11, 2005

AVG doesnt see it as a virus or trojan

Damn, that means I'm going to need to find a new anti-virus program. AVG should totally block shit like this.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 7:13 AM on November 11, 2005

Backdoor-CVH. My McAfee deleted them before I could touch them, too.

Be cautious. This isn't technically a Trojan -- it's a pretty limited interface, and it doesn't install itself -- but theoretically something could piggyback or mimic the client, presenting a clandestine security risk.
posted by dhartung at 7:22 AM on November 11, 2005

Isnt the fact that its a sorta Trojan the point; like this is a friendly, controllable Trojan ?
posted by 13twelve at 7:24 AM on November 11, 2005

Fluffy cute Shetland trojan pony!
posted by Wolfdog at 7:28 AM on November 11, 2005

Rob Gordon:Technically, I was her first. Technically.

Allison's mom:That's nice, Bob. I have to be going now. kthxbye.

sorry but the word 'technically' always triggers this dialog snippet earwig which will run on repeat until I pass it along to others.

Trojan or not, it sure has been fun messing with the know-it-all grad students who are [ab]using the audio/video studio here at work.
posted by Suck Poppet at 7:34 AM on November 11, 2005

I'm switching to Windows.
posted by swift at 7:42 AM on November 11, 2005

alison married kevin!
posted by shoepal at 7:51 AM on November 11, 2005

There was something like this for the Mac that I loaded on a coworker's computer ages ago. We sent her a message that said "HP Laserjet 5 is out of paper." We then stifled giggles as she went up to add more paper. We then sent her another message that said "Can you add just a little bit more please?"

Endless fun.
posted by machaus at 8:03 AM on November 11, 2005

I must say that I love this thing, although, as I am sitting alone in my kitchen being unemployed, it is of little use to me personally. I did, however, email it to almost all my friends. Also, wolfdog, bwah ha ha ha ha ha!
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:22 AM on November 11, 2005

I installed it on a coworker's computer. McAfee saw it as a threat and instantly deleted it, so I disabled McAfee and dropped it in an obscure folder and launched it.

It was a lot of fun -- Machaus, I basically stole your routine.

Until he found out. Now, I shit you not, he's in the process of blowing out his Windows partition and installing Linux.

Some people can't take a joke..
posted by kbanas at 11:01 AM on November 11, 2005 [1 favorite]

I've got to remember this for next week. I have a very prankable co-worker. The all-time favorite prank is when I introduced him to The Proxomitron for Internet Explorer filtering and then after a few days when he was out at lunch I set up a custom filter for the program so that any instance of the word "car" he encountered online would be changed to "chicken". We all howled with laughter when he became puzzled by his favorite car forum becoming dedicated to chickens and how his attempts to look up Car Max instead led him on Google to Chicken Max. Ah, good times...
posted by Servo5678 at 11:36 AM on November 11, 2005