So, what does your offsite backup strategy look like?
May 21, 2018 8:13 AM Subscribe
An HVAC technician has to break into a locked server room after the AC goes out, discovers Russian anti-tank missile. (Reddit thread.)
update - a live anti-tank missile apparently. big ole pile of Eastern European nope.
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:37 AM on May 21, 2018
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:37 AM on May 21, 2018
For those who don't feel like going to reddit:
A Czech HVAC technician found this in the IT room; it's a Sagger Missile A Russian MCLOS ATGM.
Backstory:
"I am doing some air-condition maintenance in an small business office building. No one was in that server room for more than 2 months since the last IT guy left and apparently took the keys with him. AC gave up, found out there are no spare keys, had to break in and found this. Farewell present from a former employee maybe?"
After calling the owner of the business, who said it was not supposed to be there, here is the current status:
Update #2:
Owner has no idea what it is or how it got there, there is a millitary warehouse few kilometers away with defunct BVPs nad V3Ss. Calling cops.
Update #3: 14:30 CET
Bomb squad is on the way, we are ordered to evacuate the building and leave the premises. Will update when they'll get here.
Update #4: 14:50 CET
Bomb Squad in the bulding: Police want to confiscate our phones and stuff for pics maybe? Hope I am not in trouble for posting that pic.
Update #5: 15:03 CET
Mobile phone confiscated, updating from notebook. We have been escorted maybe 2 kilometers away to some parking lot with police escort. We have to wait for a police interrogation. They are really not cool about it.
Update #6: 15:16 CET
Just heard from police radio. It is a freaking active bomb, live explosive, not inert or whatever is the correct fucking wording for it in english.
Update #7: 15:32 CET
Bomb squad will try to remove the device if it is not wired and transport it to some safer place, we are on our way to a police station. Some black vans with no registration plates on the scene, few military cars. It looks like a complete military lockdown. Crazy stuff...
posted by miguelcervantes at 8:39 AM on May 21, 2018 [23 favorites]
A Czech HVAC technician found this in the IT room; it's a Sagger Missile A Russian MCLOS ATGM.
Backstory:
"I am doing some air-condition maintenance in an small business office building. No one was in that server room for more than 2 months since the last IT guy left and apparently took the keys with him. AC gave up, found out there are no spare keys, had to break in and found this. Farewell present from a former employee maybe?"
After calling the owner of the business, who said it was not supposed to be there, here is the current status:
Update #2:
Owner has no idea what it is or how it got there, there is a millitary warehouse few kilometers away with defunct BVPs nad V3Ss. Calling cops.
Update #3: 14:30 CET
Bomb squad is on the way, we are ordered to evacuate the building and leave the premises. Will update when they'll get here.
Update #4: 14:50 CET
Bomb Squad in the bulding: Police want to confiscate our phones and stuff for pics maybe? Hope I am not in trouble for posting that pic.
Update #5: 15:03 CET
Mobile phone confiscated, updating from notebook. We have been escorted maybe 2 kilometers away to some parking lot with police escort. We have to wait for a police interrogation. They are really not cool about it.
Update #6: 15:16 CET
Just heard from police radio. It is a freaking active bomb, live explosive, not inert or whatever is the correct fucking wording for it in english.
Update #7: 15:32 CET
Bomb squad will try to remove the device if it is not wired and transport it to some safer place, we are on our way to a police station. Some black vans with no registration plates on the scene, few military cars. It looks like a complete military lockdown. Crazy stuff...
posted by miguelcervantes at 8:39 AM on May 21, 2018 [23 favorites]
I get that the police would want to confiscate any mobile phones that could be triggers, but it's a bomb in a server room; basing a trigger mechanism out of a cellphone or bluetooth signal sounds like an unnecessary complication when every computer and blade is a potential triggering device and they are conveniently mounted on racks on either side of it.
posted by ardgedee at 8:40 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ardgedee at 8:40 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
This new anti-malware system is REALLY effective.
posted by delfin at 8:41 AM on May 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by delfin at 8:41 AM on May 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
What gets me is that it's just.... sitting there, as though it's been cast aside and ignored, with some cables haphazardly strewn on top.
There are so many layers of WTF here to unpack.
posted by schmod at 8:44 AM on May 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
There are so many layers of WTF here to unpack.
posted by schmod at 8:44 AM on May 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
Big deal. I once witnessed a very large and expensive dedicated Solaris NetBeans server being deployed.
posted by loquacious at 8:48 AM on May 21, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by loquacious at 8:48 AM on May 21, 2018 [14 favorites]
Unexploded ordinance is a shockingly common occurrence on that subreddit. Previously, there was a live and primed WWI artillery shell, and an underwing training bomb.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:51 AM on May 21, 2018
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:51 AM on May 21, 2018
Well, we're going to Backup Exec with Amazon's Virtual Tape Drive, why do you ask?
posted by mikelieman at 8:53 AM on May 21, 2018
posted by mikelieman at 8:53 AM on May 21, 2018
> There are 16 piezoelectric crystals in the front cone, so any jarring or influence from anyone is hazardous and could cause a detonation. It was good of you to call the police.
posted by ardgedee at 8:54 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ardgedee at 8:54 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
schmod: ...with some cables haphazardly strewn on top.
That's the best part of the story. "I should really move this thing... ehn... whatever... I'll just pull these cables across and worry about it later."
posted by clawsoon at 8:56 AM on May 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
That's the best part of the story. "I should really move this thing... ehn... whatever... I'll just pull these cables across and worry about it later."
posted by clawsoon at 8:56 AM on May 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
When reached for comment, the former IT tech issued the following statement:
"You'll never prove a thing, copper- I'm just a part-time electrician. I-I-I... BAD IS GOOD, BABY! DOWN WITH GOVERNMENT!"
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:07 AM on May 21, 2018 [13 favorites]
"You'll never prove a thing, copper- I'm just a part-time electrician. I-I-I... BAD IS GOOD, BABY! DOWN WITH GOVERNMENT!"
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:07 AM on May 21, 2018 [13 favorites]
The HN thread has a comment debunking the whole thing as a prank, including a comment from local police. Which might itself be a prank. What is even real anymore?!
posted by wenestvedt at 9:16 AM on May 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 9:16 AM on May 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
TheWhiteSkull, this rocket is an object at rest, so clearly it cannot be stopped.
posted by delfin at 9:20 AM on May 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by delfin at 9:20 AM on May 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
I've watched a lot of shows where this happens. Just cut the blue wire
posted by etherist at 9:43 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by etherist at 9:43 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
I've watched a lot of shows where this happens. Just cut the blue wire.
I sure hope you can splice fiber optic cables.
posted by loquacious at 9:52 AM on May 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
I sure hope you can splice fiber optic cables.
posted by loquacious at 9:52 AM on May 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
This was my favorite Arrested Development episode ever: "My God, it makes me want to have an ice-cream cone.
Doesn't this make you want to have an ice-cream cone?"
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 10:05 AM on May 21, 2018
Doesn't this make you want to have an ice-cream cone?"
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 10:05 AM on May 21, 2018
> Which might itself be a prank. What is even real anymore?!
Nothing on the internet, just like always.
posted by cirgue at 12:04 PM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Nothing on the internet, just like always.
posted by cirgue at 12:04 PM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
The HN thread has a comment debunking the whole thing as a prankLiterally nothing in that comment debunks this.
posted by weed donkey at 12:39 PM on May 21, 2018
On the internet, no-one knows you're a Russian wire-guided anti-tank missile.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:42 PM on May 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:42 PM on May 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
That is one way to set up a secure delete procedure.
posted by ocschwar at 12:58 PM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ocschwar at 12:58 PM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
For today's reddit threads involving possibly-true stories, this is my favorite.
posted by exogenous at 2:57 PM on May 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by exogenous at 2:57 PM on May 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Here's a Google translate of a Czech Republic computer mag site mentioned in the Reddit thread that quotes the police saying they haven't heard about any bomb in any server room.
posted by eye of newt at 9:49 PM on May 21, 2018
posted by eye of newt at 9:49 PM on May 21, 2018
Turns out the whole thing is a hoax. We still have no idea if he fixed the A/C or not.
posted by um at 5:12 AM on May 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by um at 5:12 AM on May 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
« Older Bird is the word | Grammy warned you! Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
"We can't afford a nuke or orbit"
".....How about an Anti-Tank Missile?".
Submitted as evidence for the prosecution: Transcript of meeting with Accenture consultants 5/5/2017.
posted by lalochezia at 8:34 AM on May 21, 2018 [4 favorites]