PronounceGlobe

Definition

Chiefly used by technical support helpdesk staff: a problem experienced with a user's computer that is due to user error.

Acronym of problem exists between chair and keyboard.

"Miraculously, all of a sudden, the client's network began behaving beautifully! Before, PEBCAKs were causing a technician to need to visit their company every day, and now—after a simple deployment of basic policies—the client was ecstatic. […] Ask your IT professionals, "What percentage of your time, on a daily basis, do you spend solving PEBCAK issues?" Don't be surprised if you hear answers of 30% or more. Now, calculate how much money PEBCAKs are costing you in IT expense as well as lost productivity for the employees. Then deploy policies in a staged rollout to reduce this costly expense."
"In the tech support world, there's an old joke about "PEBCAK," or Problem Exists Between the Chair and Keyboard. Cybersecurity really is all about people and incentives. There are plenty of important technical fixes and new tools to adopt, but if organizations and individuals aren't willing to invest in securing themselves, then they will remain insecure."
"How can I make my PC completely secure from any type of virus and hacking? Juzer You can’t, because of the old computer industry phenomenon known as PEBCAK, or "Problem exists between chair and keyboard". A lot of hacks depend on "social engineering," which means manipulating people into handing over their passwords or other details. […] Linux and Mac OS X are more secure than Windows, but PEBCAK is a problem with every operating system."