OfficePoltergeist 1.1

Open Source Windows Computer Prank Madness!

This is a poltergeist!

New 4/1/2008: Check out our Firefox Version

What the heck is OfficePoltergeist?

If you're like me, then your longtime dream has been to take over all the computers in your office and make them play hysterical laughter and/or other crazy noises. Sure, there are all manner of underground "back orifice" type tools out there that can take over a computer, but until now, there wasn't something simple and disposable that you could use in your office without causing headaches further down the road when you have to uninstall some crazy trojan horse.

No... that's too much effort/risk for a stupid prank. Still, the idea of a ghost in the machine has haunted me for some time.

In that spirit, allow me to introduce OfficePoltergeist 1.1, the simplest way to terrorize the people who dwell in the cubes around you.

What does OfficePoltergeist do?

Install the OfficePoltergeist server on a victim's computer and you can take possession of it. Use OfficePoltergeist to:

  • Play spooky sounds
  • Open or close cd drives
  • Transmit text through your victim's keyboard
  • Make windows shake
  • Turn monitors on and off
  • Move windows slightly left and right
  • Send popup alert messages

OFFICEPOLTERGEIST IS NOT SPYWARE.

While OfficePoltergeist does allow you to take limited control of another person's computer, it does not allow remote users to read data or execute potentially harmful commands.

The goal is to be obnoxious, but not destructive.

OfficePoltergeist does not install itself or remain in memory after the game is over. While the OfficePoltergeist server does run as stealthily as it can to avoid the victim's attention, OfficePoltergeist is totally gone when the user restarts his or her machine.

How does OfficePoltergeist work?

OfficePoltergeist sets up a small server running on the victim's machine. The program, which hides in memory while it runs, waits silently for a connection on port 666.

With the OfficePoltergeist Controller, you can be the poltergeist:

OfficePoltergeist controller

When you're done, shutdown the server on the remote victim's computer.

Leave no trace... just like a real poltergeist!

If you want to give it a try on your own machine before unleashing it on your friends and coworkers, it should work just fine. Hit some buttons... play around. You'll figure it out. Believe me, it ain't rocket science.

How do I download OfficePoltergeist?

Version 1.1 of OfficePoltergeist was released on October 21, 2005. It works with all current versions of Windows including XP and Vista.

Run it straight from our site or right click on the link and use "Save Target As..." (or whatever) to keep a copy permanently on your computer.

Please use OfficePoltergeist responsibly.

Rememeber -- ghosts are often mischievous, but never evil.

How do I know that OfficePoltergeist does what it says it does...
... and nothing more?

To prove to yourself that OfficePoltergeist is all treats and no tricks, you can download the source.

As of October 21, 2005, when version 1.1 was released, OfficePoltergeist required a beta version of AutoIt v3 to compile properly... presumably, that'll change as AutoIt continues to get more and more awesome.

OfficePoltergeist was built by jon roig and released under the GPL license.

How do I trick someone into downloading OfficePoltergeist?

OfficePoltergeist really isn't set up that way.

The idea is this: when your coworker is out smoking crack (or whatever he or she does on "break"), take that opportunity to go to the victim's machine, fire up officepoltergeist.com and run the mem86control.exe program straight off the website. When the OfficePoltergeist server first loads, it'll tell you the ip address of the victim's computer, then continue to run silently in the background. (You'll want to write the ip address down -- you'll need it to connect with the OfficePoltergeist controller.)

Once your stealth mission is completed, go back to your computer, start the OfficePoltergeist controller, connect to your victim's machine, and find your inner poltergeist.

Does OfficePoltergeist work behind a firewall?

Yes. As long as port 666 is open, that is.

Does the WindowsXP Firewall mess with the OfficePoltergeist server?

It can... but since you're there when you install the OfficePoltergeist server, why not hit the "unblock" button when the alert pops up?

I've been a fan of OfficePoltergeist since its debut three days ago.
What changed in the 1.1 version?

We added a bunch of silly monitor tricks -- a flicker function, some window shaking, and the ability to shift every single open window to the right or to the left.

I desperately want to talk with other people about OfficePoltergeist.
Where can I do that?

We used to have a forum at fark.com, but they shut that down, apparently. (I guess these things expire... who knows?) Instead, we encourage you to visit the OfficePoltergeist Google group...

You can also make friends with OfficePoltergeist on MySpace... 'cuz the kids are into that.

When's the best time of year to use OfficePoltergeist?

Let's face it... any time is a good time to play computer pranks on coworkers. April Fool's Day, Halloween... they are an excellent time to play office pranks. Your coworkers might be expecting you to strike, but it's all good.

Is there a version for OS X/Linux/Whatever?

Yes! Check out our Mozilla Extension.

My virus scanner identified OfficePoltergeist as a trojan. What's up with that?

OfficePoltergeist IS a trojan.

Well, kind of. Not in bad way...

It cracks us up that we ended up on some poor, overworked project manager's spreadsheet somewhere as a trojan horse, but it seems reasonable that OfficePoltergeist is identified that way.

I don't think they're implying that OfficePoltergeist has any secret hidden functions or anything...