IT Department Put Sticky Notes on the Laptops to Help Employees Log In
The Register, Thursday, August 6th, 2026
An IT department's sticky-note credential handout let a contractor access proprietary data remotely.
During an office relocation, an IT department attached sticky notes containing usernames and initial passwords to new laptops stored in a conference room.
A contractor photographed the credentials and later used them to remotely access proprietary data and planning documents on shared drives.
The article emphasizes that even the IT department should not know a user's password, and that credentials should never be left exposed. Secure alternatives include encrypted channels and temporary passwords accessible only to the intended recipient.