Hospital gave very sick doctor a special PC for his personal, erm, pleasure

What happened

A reader called Mason worked on tech support for a hospital's research labs. One lab belonged to a doctor who was a leading organ transplant researcher. He often viewed adult content on his work computers. This led to malware infections, and Mason cleaned them up many times. Mason told his boss, but managers did nothing. Later, a worm hit the hospital, and logs showed the doctor's PC was the source. Instead of punishing him, the hospital let him use one special PC for personal matters.

Key facts

• Mason sometimes cleaned up malware multiple times in one week.
• After the special PC was set up, it needed a malware cleanup only about once a year.
• Mason left the hospital while the special PC was still in use.
• Years later, the doctor's graduate students filed a lawsuit. The special PC was used as evidence.

Background

On Call is a weekly story series from The Register, a tech news website. It shares stories from tech workers about odd or hard moments on the job. The stories are sent in by readers. Malware is harmful software that can damage or spy on a computer. A worm is a type of malware that spreads by itself across networks.

Why it matters

This story shows how powerful staff can break rules without consequences. It also shows how breaking rules can create risks for a hospital, such as lawsuits and damage to computers. Workers who try to follow rules can feel pressure to go along with bad choices. The case also shows that keeping records of misconduct can matter later in court.

What to watch

• The article does not say how the lawsuit ended.
• The article does not name the hospital or the doctor.
• The article is one reader's account and has not been independently checked.