Road Trips, Hackable Trucks, and the Joys of Getting Paid for Weird Tech Work
There are jobs, and then there are adventures disguised as jobs. Imagine staring into the wheel wells of a Chevy Silverado, laptop in hand, antennas bristling, while explaining to a skeptical truck driver that, yes, you’re being paid to do this. For many in tech support, it’s just another day at the office (or under a pickup). But for Reddit’s beloved storyteller u/lawtechie, it’s a tale that blends cybersecurity, road trips, and the kind of cliffhangers that keep you refreshing r/TalesFromTechSupport for updates.
This is the story of a cybersecurity consultant whose job takes a detour—literally—across the country in search of vulnerabilities, with a cast of quirky colleagues and a peanut gallery of Redditors ready to cheer (and groan) at every twist.
Hacking on the Highways: When Cybersecurity Meets Convertible Cruising
When the pandemic hit and most of us were getting used to Zoom calls and pajama pants, lawtechie was plotting a 1,200-mile road trip to a client site, convertible top down, laptop in tow. Why fly when you can make your business trip a cross-country reconnaissance mission? As u/lawtechie confessed, “I love road trips,” and who could blame him? The early Fall weather was perfect for some top-down sleuthing.
Of course, in true tech fashion, the trip’s purpose quickly spiraled from simple consulting to a full-on wireless hacking experiment. After being asked to vet CopperBolt—a slick, all-in-one IT solution for schools and libraries—for security holes, our protagonist dusted off an old “wireless survey device” (picture a laptop Frankensteined with wifi and bluetooth cards, held together by cables, velcro, and hope). The goal? See what mischief could be found in the wild.
Redditor u/400HPMustang summed up the anticipation: “Still need to know what happened to Ian.” The comment echoes every reader’s feeling—lawtechie stories are as much about the journey as they are about the tech.
Vulnerabilities in the Wild: The CopperBolt Conundrum
The CopperBolt device was designed to be the holy grail for underfunded school IT departments: admin web pages, content filters, user management, even surveillance support, all in a neat little rack-mountable box. But as any seasoned techie knows, convenience often comes at the cost of security. During setup, lawtechie stumbled onto an open wireless network—one that should have been locked down tighter than a high school principal’s office after hours.
Here’s where the story takes a turn: the setup wizards for Windows and the web admin did things differently. The Windows wizard disabled the open wireless network after setup, but the web admin left it wide open and ready for anyone to poke around. “I can fix this in twenty lines of code,” said Oscar, the young pen-tester. But as lawtechie wisely replied, “We aren’t paid to fix the problem. We’re paid to identify problems to fix and maybe get paid to fix them.”
This is a classic consulting mindset, and the community loved it. As u/MisterStampy exclaimed, “HOORAY!!! MORE LAWTECHIE!!!” But the real kicker, as u/Dom_Shady highlighted, was the “months-out-of-date calendars and dead office plants... a nice nod to the zombie theme.” It’s the details that make these stories sing.
The Reddit Peanut Gallery: Cliffhangers, Nostalgia, and Techie Camaraderie
Lawtechie’s tales are famous for their cliffhangers. “The ‘to be continued’ tells me it is lawtechie,” said u/meitemark, both lovingly and with a hint of frustration. This episode was no exception, ending with the promise of a cross-country hunt for vulnerable CopperBolt boxes in the wild—a road trip with a purpose (and, hopefully, billable mileage).
The comments section is a world of its own, filled with fans who recognize lawtechie’s style a mile away. u/coventars admitted, “I started to read this without paying attention to the author’s name. About 1/3 of the way I think to myself: ‘Huh, this guy reminds me of Lawtechie...’” Others, like u/aaiceman, reminisced about the golden age of r/TalesFromTechSupport: “Lawtechie is a great OP that reminds back of the hey day of this sub when we would have multi part series that was well crafted and put together.”
Of course, no internet story is complete without a little off-topic debate. As the conversation veered into COVID-19 conspiracy territory, commenters like u/Some-Challenge8285 and u/Dramatic_Mixture_877 exchanged theories, adding yet another layer of “only on Reddit” flavor to the mix.
Why We Love These Stories (and Want More)
What makes lawtechie’s adventures so compelling? Maybe it’s the peek behind the curtain of cybersecurity consulting, where the real job is less about fixing things and more about uncovering what’s broken (and convincing someone to pay you—again—to fix it). Maybe it’s the humor, the relatable office banter, or the sheer absurdity of explaining to a truck driver why you’re waving antennas around his rig.
Or maybe, as so many commenters pointed out, it’s the sense of community—everyone waiting for the next installment, swapping stories, and sharing laughs about “the keyboards” or “dangling Ian.”
As u/Overall-Sun-5184 put it simply: “Update me.” And so say we all.
Conclusion: Your Move, Lawtechie—We’re All Still Watching
From Frankensteined laptops to cross-country cyber-sleuthing, lawtechie’s journey embodies everything that makes tech support tales irresistible: humor, suspense, and just enough technical wizardry to make you wonder what’s lurking in your own school’s server closet.
What’s the strangest place your tech job has taken you? Ever discovered a vulnerability in the wild? Share your best stories (and cliffhangers) in the comments—maybe you’ll inspire the next great r/TalesFromTechSupport saga.
Original Reddit Post: This is my job! I'm actually paid to do this!