Locking Your Workstation

One security precaution you learn really fast at Microsoft is to lock your workstation each and every time you step away, even for a moment or two. When I started here, I never really thought about it until a co-worker, while I walked to the printer and back to get something we were discussing in our meeting, hopped on my email and sent a message to a bunch of people in our group that said, “Hi, my name is Aaron and I’m insecure.” It was just after that I learned about the Windows-L button shortcut for locking your workstation. (See, there is a use for the Windows button on your keyboard – Windows-L is a shortcut for Ctrl-Alt-Del followed by the Lock Computer button.)

Another of my co-workers apparently left his workstation unlocked and left for a long time, as he’s now had at least two long emails that have been sent to Bill Gates. An excerpt from one: “I have to say, you’re really being rude here. I mean, I’ve been there for you man. Remember that time back in college? Yeah, THAT time.” Ah, correction: As I’m writing this, the guy that wrote the messages tells me he only typed and addressed them, but was nice about it and didn’t actually hit Send.

The point is, once you log in, don’t just assume that no one will walk up to your workstation while you’re around the corner and do stuff with it that is totally attributable to you. Lock your workstation, even when you step away only for a few minutes.