4 ms·

After 28 years of DoD service, civilian engineer, I just called it quits. I got tired of the retaliation for turning in security violations. The last one: shari

After 28 years of DoD service, civilian engineer, I just called it quits. I got tired of the retaliation for turning in security violations. The last one: sharing of passwords on a secured network. One violator's response: Where is it written we cannot share passwords? Why the retaliation? It portrays a bad image. Nice!

rewrew 10y ago
This kind of stupidity is why I think I can never take a gov't job. I don't think I'd last a week. Sorry you had to put up with it.
- ridgeguy 10y ago
  Any reason why you think this is unique to government employment? My experience in both gov't and private sector work suggests it's ordinary human nature.
- colinbartlett 10y ago
  What about things the US Digital Service or 18F? The image they present is that those teams are different and outside the standard government bureaucracy. I'm skeptical.
  - zacharycohn 10y ago
    Employee of 18F here, speaking unofficially. We care a lot about security - both from the technical side and from the policy compliance side!
    - Godel_unicode 10y ago
      > We care a lot about security Which is doubtless why you ignore the TIC guidelines, etc
    - rdtsc 10y ago
      How was recruitment?. Someone I know tried to get a got job there, got stuck in the queue forever. Was told to wait months. So eventually gave up and took another job.
      - kevin_thibedeau 10y ago
        USAJobs is badly in need of an 18F overhaul.
        deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
      - fern12 10y ago
        Sometimes it's a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I applied (and was rejected) for at least 50 federal positions before I was hired. My organization needed someone fast to replace a 20-year fed who was retiring. They compiled a list of all the candidates who made the cert, and in the end, a veteran was selected. Except she wasn't a veteran, not even close. She had lied on her application, and assumed that no one would follow through - and she was almost right, because OPM clearly didn't do anything. But one of my bosses is an Air Force reservist, and he caught it right away. They went back to the original list, and to make a long story short, I was hired even though I'm a non-veteran with only private sector experience. To anyone who is really determined to make it happen, I've heard Kathryn Troutman's books recommended by coworkers.
      - zacharycohn 10y ago
        Hiring in gov't is hard. We've had to pause and refactor our hiring process several times. Long delays are just as frustrating to us, trust me. It's getting better all the time though.
kardashian007 10y ago
Sucks. Consider writing a book / get in touch with theintercept on a new machine from public wifi. https://theintercept.com/securedrop/ https://theintercept.com/securedrop/ FWIW: Someone I know whom worked for DIA as a sysadmin about 10-15 years ago recalled multiple instances of TS/SCI folks being fired for surfing for porn over monitored networks... career- & clearance-ending. Maybe that's the only culturally-unacceptable sin in that community, apart from making the org/folks look bad?
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
jrnichols 10y ago
Sounds like one of those situations where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Even the most eloquent bitchslap directed at such users, even if you disguise it as user education, can still cause strife. :/
- redwards510 10y ago
  > you're damned if you do and damned if you don't Most of my military experience followed this maxim. For example: You witness your squadmates doing something against the rules. Do you do the Official thing and report that to your unit commander, as you required to by guidelines and the definition of "good soldier"? Because if you do, now your entire squad will ostracize you, make your life complete shit, and possibly leave you to die on the battlefield. If you don't, you had better hope they don't get caught, because if it comes out that you knew about it and didn't say anything, now you are in just as much trouble. This happened literally every day.
wrs 10y ago
Seriously? I don't think I've ever seen a security policy where it was not written that you cannot share passwords!
- jessaustin 10y ago
  This was probably at State Department. They have difficulty communicating security guidelines to staff and management.

rewrew 10y ago

This kind of stupidity is why I think I can never take a gov't job. I don't think I'd last a week. Sorry you had to put up with it.

ridgeguy 10y ago
Any reason why you think this is unique to government employment? My experience in both gov't and private sector work suggests it's ordinary human nature.
colinbartlett 10y ago
What about things the US Digital Service or 18F? The image they present is that those teams are different and outside the standard government bureaucracy. I'm skeptical.
- zacharycohn 10y ago
  Employee of 18F here, speaking unofficially. We care a lot about security - both from the technical side and from the policy compliance side!
  - Godel_unicode 10y ago
    > We care a lot about security Which is doubtless why you ignore the TIC guidelines, etc
  - rdtsc 10y ago
    How was recruitment?. Someone I know tried to get a got job there, got stuck in the queue forever. Was told to wait months. So eventually gave up and took another job.
    - kevin_thibedeau 10y ago
      USAJobs is badly in need of an 18F overhaul.
      - deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
    - fern12 10y ago
      Sometimes it's a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I applied (and was rejected) for at least 50 federal positions before I was hired. My organization needed someone fast to replace a 20-year fed who was retiring. They compiled a list of all the candidates who made the cert, and in the end, a veteran was selected. Except she wasn't a veteran, not even close. She had lied on her application, and assumed that no one would follow through - and she was almost right, because OPM clearly didn't do anything. But one of my bosses is an Air Force reservist, and he caught it right away. They went back to the original list, and to make a long story short, I was hired even though I'm a non-veteran with only private sector experience. To anyone who is really determined to make it happen, I've heard Kathryn Troutman's books recommended by coworkers.
    - zacharycohn 10y ago
      Hiring in gov't is hard. We've had to pause and refactor our hiring process several times. Long delays are just as frustrating to us, trust me. It's getting better all the time though.

kardashian007 10y ago

Sucks. Consider writing a book / get in touch with theintercept on a new machine from public wifi. https://theintercept.com/securedrop/ https://theintercept.com/securedrop/ FWIW: Someone I know whom worked for DIA as a sysadmin about 10-15 years ago recalled multiple instances of TS/SCI folks being fired for surfing for porn over monitored networks... career- & clearance-ending. Maybe that's the only culturally-unacceptable sin in that community, apart from making the org/folks look bad?

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

jrnichols 10y ago

Sounds like one of those situations where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Even the most eloquent bitchslap directed at such users, even if you disguise it as user education, can still cause strife. :/

redwards510 10y ago
> you're damned if you do and damned if you don't Most of my military experience followed this maxim. For example: You witness your squadmates doing something against the rules. Do you do the Official thing and report that to your unit commander, as you required to by guidelines and the definition of "good soldier"? Because if you do, now your entire squad will ostracize you, make your life complete shit, and possibly leave you to die on the battlefield. If you don't, you had better hope they don't get caught, because if it comes out that you knew about it and didn't say anything, now you are in just as much trouble. This happened literally every day.

wrs 10y ago

Seriously? I don't think I've ever seen a security policy where it was not written that you cannot share passwords!

jessaustin 10y ago
This was probably at State Department. They have difficulty communicating security guidelines to staff and management.