https://stencel.io/enContents © 2025 <a href="mailto:gstencel@gmail.com">Greg Stencel</a> Fri, 11 Apr 2025 06:59:44 GMTNikola (getnikola.com)http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttps://stencel.io/posts/easy-admin-joke.htmlGreg Stencel<p>When I first got admin access ages ago on shared server I wanted to do something funny to my coleague so I thought to display something on his screen.</p> <p>Remembering everything in Linux filesystem is a file or a directory I read about pseudoterminals "pts" they are inside /dev directory</p> <p>Yea yea I know 3 rules of admin : Respect the privacy of others. Think before you type. With great power comes great responsibility bla bla bla ...</p> <p>To do this joke just check who is logged in and on which pts is he :</p> <div class="code"><pre class="code bash"><a id="rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-1" name="rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-1" href="https://stencel.io/posts/easy-admin-joke.html#rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-1"></a>$<span class="w"> </span>who <a id="rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-2" name="rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-2" href="https://stencel.io/posts/easy-admin-joke.html#rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-2"></a>greg<span class="w"> </span>pts/3<span class="w"> </span><span class="m">2012</span>-03-10<span class="w"> </span><span class="m">1</span>:26<span class="w"> </span><span class="o">(</span>:0<span class="o">)</span> <a id="rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-3" name="rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-3" href="https://stencel.io/posts/easy-admin-joke.html#rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-3"></a>mark<span class="w"> </span>pts/5<span class="w"> </span><span class="m">2012</span>-03-10<span class="w"> </span><span class="m">10</span>:29<span class="w"> </span><span class="o">(</span>:0<span class="o">)</span> <a id="rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-4" name="rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-4" href="https://stencel.io/posts/easy-admin-joke.html#rest_code_7a01788a4d954b32b73a3035c5a6f6a9-4"></a>jenny<span class="w"> </span>pts/7<span class="w"> </span><span class="m">2012</span>-03-10<span class="w"> </span><span class="m">13</span>:06<span class="w"> </span><span class="o">(</span>:0<span class="o">)</span> </pre></div> <p>So now, we know that Mark is working on pts/5 so lets send him message :)</p> <div class="code"><pre class="code bash"><a id="rest_code_7a1b67cae1534b018277754f9c789ab1-1" name="rest_code_7a1b67cae1534b018277754f9c789ab1-1" href="https://stencel.io/posts/easy-admin-joke.html#rest_code_7a1b67cae1534b018277754f9c789ab1-1"></a>$<span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">echo</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s2">"In 5 minutes in toilet /Jenny"</span><span class="w"> </span>&gt;<span class="w"> </span>/dev/pts/5 </pre></div> <p>To "clean evidences" :D ( remember that guy working on this terminal will lost his current works he's working on this specific terminal)</p> <div class="code"><pre class="code bash"><a id="rest_code_f5ebb5990f7d430db715b43879756427-1" name="rest_code_f5ebb5990f7d430db715b43879756427-1" href="https://stencel.io/posts/easy-admin-joke.html#rest_code_f5ebb5990f7d430db715b43879756427-1"></a>$<span class="w"> </span>cat<span class="w"> </span>/dev/urandom<span class="w"> </span>&gt;<span class="w"> </span>/dev/pts/5 </pre></div>Linuxhttps://stencel.io/posts/easy-admin-joke.htmlSat, 10 May 2014 12:31:04 GMT