IT Horror Stories with Jack Smith

Smart cities promise better transportation, connected infrastructure, and improved services—but what happens when everything is connected a little too well? In this episode, our guest shares the story of a security assessment in a major metropolitan smart city where network segmentation had been overlooked, creating unexpected paths between public networks and critical infrastructure. One memorable discovery showed that, with nothing more than the correct IP address, it was possible to operate a parking garage barrier from the city's public Wi-Fi while riding a bus on the opposite side of town. Together, we explore why VLANs and network segmentation remain some of the most fundamental principles in cybersecurity, how convenience can quietly undermine security, and why the smartest technology still depends on good architecture. It's a fascinating story that demonstrates how seemingly small design decisions can have city-wide consequences—and why "everything connected" should never mean "everything can talk to everything else." Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-18-one-network-to-rule-them-all/ 00:00 Introduction 01:58 Smart City Chaos 10:47 Security Camera Mess 25:09 ANPR Issues 36:08 Concluding Thoughts

Opening a tab at a bowling alley shouldn't require handing over your driver's license or national ID card. Yet many businesses still ask customers to leave government-issued identity documents behind as collateral, often storing them in plain sight with little thought for privacy, physical security, or the risks involved. In this Rant, we ask a simple question: just because a practice has existed for years, does that make it acceptable? Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/jacks-rants-can-i-keep-your-id/ 00:00 Introduction 01:34 Questioning Practices 02:46 Value of ID Cards 05:13 Consequences 06:01 Secure Solutions 07:51 Broader Implications 09:35 Conclusion

No one expects a cybersecurity incident to begin in the cardboard industry. Yet as our guest Kayne McGladrey explains, cybercriminals don't care what your company manufactures—they care about opportunity. In this episode, Kayne shares how an unexpected conversation with a golf buddy led to a cybersecurity contract, and why one of the most unassuming industries turned out to have a story worth telling. Together, we explore the incident itself, how trust and professional networks can open doors in unexpected ways, and why manufacturing organizations of every kind have become attractive targets for cyberattacks. It's a fascinating reminder that behind every product—even a simple cardboard box—there's a complex IT infrastructure that deserves to be protected. You can read more from Kayne at https://kaynemcgladrey.com/ Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-17-cardboard-confidential/ 00:00 Introduction 00:57 Cardboard Industry Focus 03:22 Manufacturing Breach 06:15 Incident Escalation 12:26 Operation Recovery 22:56 Lessons Learned 30:26 Conclusion  

Once upon a time, Change Management meant raising an RFC, preparing a rollback plan, and surviving the Change Advisory Board. Today, it also means stakeholder engagement, communication plans, adoption metrics, workshops, and apparently having the emotional intelligence of a licensed therapist Whether you're a project manager, systems engineer, change manager, or simply someone who's ever heard the phrase "we've always done it this way," this rant will probably feel uncomfortably familiar.   Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/jacks-rants-the-new-change-management/ 00:23 Introduction 01:23 Evolution of Change 02:39 Change Challenges 04:14 Human Factors 06:56 Practical Solutions 10:25 Conclusion

It was supposed to be a routine hiring exercise. A candidate receives a technical assignment, reviews the provided material, and prepares a solution. Then someone notices that the "anonymous" dataset isn't anonymous at all. What follows is an uncomfortable discovery involving confidential business information, questions about data handling, and an unexpected conversation with legal. In this episode of IT Horror Stories with Jack Smith, we discuss how good intentions, poorly sanitized data, and assumptions about anonymity can quickly transform a recruitment exercise into an information security incident. Along the way, we explore data governance, confidentiality, risk management, and what organizations should do when they discover they've shared information they never intended to expose. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/gdpr-enters-the-chat/   00:00 Introduction 02:18 Security Breach 03:25 Social Engineering Risk 10:54 Company Response 12:46 Final Thoughts

Printing is one of those technologies everyone assumes should have been solved years ago — until someone can't print invoices, shipping labels stop coming out, or 50,000 customer letters suddenly disappear into a print queue somewhere. In this episode, we take a tour through the strange and surprisingly complex world of printing: from small desktop printers and office multifunction devices to enterprise print servers and industrial mass-mailing environments that still move serious business. We explore why printing continues to survive every digital transformation, what actually happens behind the scenes when you click "Print," and why reliability suddenly becomes very important when paper turns into payroll, warehouse labels, customer communication, or operational downtime. Because nothing reminds people that IT exists faster than when the printer stops working. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-15-spooling-out-of-control/ 00:00 IT Horror Stories 02:00 Industrial Printing 06:00 Printer Installation 11:00 Mission Critical Printing 15:00 High Volume Printing 17:30 DTP and Mac Systems 24:00 Printing Challenges  

Welcome to the story of a perfectly known and visible laptop that somehow became critical production infrastructure inside a warehouse environment — without going through proper validation, testing, or operational review. The system worked, solved an immediate problem, and was quickly integrated into daily operations... right up until the laptop entered sleep mode and warehouse activities ground to a halt. What followed was a frantic investigation into why scanners stopped working, workflows froze, and logistics operations suddenly stalled because of a standard power-saving setting. It's a story about how quickly "temporary" operational solutions can become business-critical, and why governance, testing, and basic operational checks matter far more than people realize — especially when convenience quietly reaches production. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-14-sleep-mode-in-production/ 00:00 Introduction 01:32 Early 2000s IT 03:07 Warehouse Down 05:07 Troubleshooting Begins 09:23 Cable Chaos 11:18 Director's Laptop 15:57 Lessons Learned 21:31 Conclusion

We explore a hypothetical ransomware scenario that mirrors what many organizations could face today. Imagine a normal day where systems suddenly become inaccessible, data is encrypted, and the scope of the attack starts to unfold in real time. What follows is a race against the clock, with teams trying to understand what's happening while keeping critical operations alive. More importantly, we focus on the response and recovery: the trade-offs, the communication challenges, and the lessons organizations can take away before something like this actually happens. Because ransomware isn't just a technical problem — it's an operational and human one, where preparation and clarity matter as much as the tools in place. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-13-ransomware-lockdown/ 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Ransomware Explained 03:08 Attack Entry Points 06:16 Employee Training 13:00 AI Phishing Threats 20:18 Data Leaks Aftermath 25:26 Cybersecurity in Mergers 28:18 Recovery Steps 33:04 Conclusion