My first job
We had a spiffy computerised PBX (it used the company's computer...which is why we had this brand of PBX). Outside calls required an 5-digit access number. Depending on your privileges, you could call local or long distance. But every call was logged. I did a little back-of-the-napkin calculation and figured that the number of people in the company, divided into 99999, came out to around 20. So...I started trying other access codes. Sure enough, I hit one within 20 tries.
Not that I'd ever misuse this knowledge. But someone did, because the access code was changed to 6 digits, shortly afterwards.
Then, there was the time at uni, when I worked in an office. We had the old multiline phones with the row of line buttons along the bottom. One of the lines had outgoing WATS (free long distance calling), the other two were restricted to on-campus local calls. Some phones had the extra line, mine didn't. I found my way into the wiring closet and added (but did not label) the WATS line onto my phone.
// buttset in the pocket
Biting the hand that feeds IT
