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Ask HN: My client want an agent on my laptop. Is this the new normal?

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Re: Ask HN: My client want an agent on my laptop. Is this the new normal?

#31

Post by hericium »

The concept of "working from home" forced by the pandemic is harming the "remote working" community by extensive invigilation and moving harmful office behaviors to private space.

I talked to an Intel HR person (informal chat, I never applied there nor planned to) 2-3 months ago and after I stated that after a decade of remote work, I see pandemic-driven introduction of harmful concepts like spying on previously trustworthy contractors by control-freaking managers that have no idea how to prove themselves in new reality, I was given a look which would usually be reserved for a psychotic person believing that they're being watched 24/7. Quite an unique experience, contrasting with how HR folks are trained to do sect-like "love bombing".

You want me to work for you and deliver results? My pleasure - that's what I do.

You want me to hang a company logo in my place and sit in front of camera multiple times a day, log every minute of my time and creep on me in other ways? I never worked in "Office Space"-like environment and I'm not planning to. Go fuck yourself, I'm out.

Re: Ask HN: My client want an agent on my laptop. Is this the new normal?

#32

Post by jevoten »

ww520 wrote: post #17

It's not normal. Ask them if they and Drata are willing to be on the hook for all your potential bank breach in the future, as they are key-logging your online banking access. Ask them if they can put up a surety bond or insurance for any of your financial loss due to breach of privacy.

I believe reducing loss of privacy to only financial costs is the wrong approach. How will you quantify this cost when, for example, Drata runs some fancy ML algorithm on the gathered data, and starts offering employers a "unionization risk" score for new hires that they have intel on? What do you do when being without an evaluation by some spy company like Drata, since you're so privacy conscious, itself becomes a black mark for employers?

Rights should not be thought of in terms of their financial cost.

Re: Ask HN: My client want an agent on my laptop. Is this the new normal?

#34

Post by periheli0n »

jevoten wrote: post #28
vanusa wrote: post #4

You have two options: (1) quit or (2) "renegotiate the relationship", as the saying goes. Specifically, it's perfectly reasonable for you to say "OK -- if you're willing to provide me with a dedicated laptop". They can say no of course, but so can you. Or you can request a rate increase (which they would probably say no to, if they won't provide you with a laptop). Either way, those are you choices. Yes it sucks to a…

Don't forget option C: Talk with all the other teams and present a united front, whatever you decide to do.

Only if you trust those teams to not stab you in the back.

Re: Ask HN: My client want an agent on my laptop. Is this the new normal?

#35

Post by periheli0n »

alserio wrote: post #29
zepolen wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just get the laptop, use it for work only. This is the best way forward. They are looking for their interests (minimize security breaches) and that's a perfectly understandable position and solution to the problem. In this day and age the risk from a breach is much larger than in the past. Since they are willing to provide the necessary equipment for that then there is no issue from your end.

Since when a backdoor is useful to minimize security breaches?

When you don’t trust the person on whose machine you want to install the backdoor.

Re: Ask HN: My client want an agent on my laptop. Is this the new normal?

#36

Post by nixgeek »

Very common at least in my experience. Almost all previous and my current job run a whole suite of stuff on all endpoints and feed everything from things your corporate laptop resolves, all the process invocations, all network flows being established back for analysis. These are all Fortune 100 businesses and things may be different in smaller shops?

I don’t conduct personal business of any sort on a corporate device. Just not having direct access to production won’t exclude you from security protocols, else how can you guarantee nobody slipped adjustments into software you have checked out,a ‘git push’ originating from your endpoint, which then gets deployed?

Re: Ask HN: My client want an agent on my laptop. Is this the new normal?

#37

Post by dgellow »

I do some contracting work, and would almost for sure refuse such a demand, even if I end up losing the contract. That doesn’t sound reasonable to have a mandatory surveillance software to install, unless they want to provide their own laptop (or you buy one just for them and send them the bill).

Really weird stuff, I hope that won’t become a trend.

Re: Ask HN: My client want an agent on my laptop. Is this the new normal?

#38

Post by legerdemain »

periheli0n wrote: post #34
jevoten wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget option C: Talk with all the other teams and present a united front, whatever you decide to do.

Only if you trust those teams to not stab you in the back.

Honestly, I wouldn't trust anyone. Reasonable trust in your employer starts and stops at your paycheck.

Re: Ask HN: My client want an agent on my laptop. Is this the new normal?

#40

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

illud_tempus wrote: post #7
vanusa wrote: post #4

You have two options: (1) quit or (2) "renegotiate the relationship", as the saying goes. Specifically, it's perfectly reasonable for you to say "OK -- if you're willing to provide me with a dedicated laptop". They can say no of course, but so can you. Or you can request a rate increase (which they would probably say no to, if they won't provide you with a laptop). Either way, those are you choices. Yes it sucks to a…

My client is quite reasonable, and is willing to compensate a new laptop. It took me less then a few minutes after I read the mail to come up with algorithms to implement this thing without compromising my security or privacy. VM. Using an old laptop and remove the wi-fi card. Get a new PC or laptop. Wire whatever I choose on a vlan that goes directly to a VPN server in another country. However, I still don't like th…

But then you have to install an authenticator app on your phone for 2FA and they won't run on a SIM-less burner.
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