OOPSIE, Hope They Have Valid Backups

[Hobbes]

Emory University server accidentally sends reformat request to all Windows PCs, including itself

Emory university apparently uses MS system center configuration manager to image and update their computers and someone created a faulty job that basically
amounted to format c: /s for every computer on the campus.

Here’s the crux of what happened:

A Windows 7 deployment image was accidently sent to all Windows machines, including laptops, desktops, and even servers. This image started with a repartition/reformat set of tasks. As soon as the accident was discovered, the SCCM server was powered off – however, by that time, the SCCM server itself had been repartitioned and reformatted.
​

Linky


If you are interested enough to read the gorey details go here and scroll to the bottom where the incident started and then read up as the page was updated with new details and info.

 

[Spata]

someone got fired

 

[makeithappen]

That's a big oops. Since when do you create a job and deploy it (no matter what the job entails) to the entire network without first hitting at least one test box? That stupidity alone deserved firing.

 

[Commander Keen]

Hopefully they have disk-based backups, and/or a SAN.

As stupendous as this error was, it could (at least on the server side) be a pretty easy fix with minimal data loss (short RPO) with a quick RTO.

 

[KOPBET]

Ban humans on campus.

 

[Hobbes]

Ban humans on campus.

I blame Microsoft. They are selling assault systems management software.