Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Should employers pay for employees' phones if 2FA apps are required?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 70 posts

Re: Ask HN: Should employers pay for employees' phones if 2FA apps are required?

#31

Post by amne »

krunck wrote: post #27

If I am required to use my personal phone for work related 2FA and SMS(lots of services require a mobile phone number just to create an account), then I will start using work resources for my own personal benefit. Those GPUs are idle too much anyhow....

You know they'll give a low-tier samsung with physical buttons that barely passes for a smartphone and you'll complain in less than a week that you can't install work apps on your personal phone.

Re: Ask HN: Should employers pay for employees' phones if 2FA apps are required?

#32

Post by BiteCode_dev »

LopovJack wrote: post #15

My company wants me it install Microsoft Authenticator but I find that unacceptable. That is my personal device and installation of any app is my choice and my choice only. That being said, TOTP is practically standard and every phone have a method of generating their own TOTP so I don't mind adding employer's company to my BitWarden or Apple passwords. Same way I would not have problem to have SMS as a MFA.

I have dumb phone for that. If they pressure me to install something on it, I just bring them that phone (with my real sim), and ask them how we shall proceed.

Re: Ask HN: Should employers pay for employees' phones if 2FA apps are required?

#33

Post by runjake »

Employers should:

- Offer people a cell phone stipend, which the employee may or may not accept.

or:

- Issue a security key.

We choose to go with "We are issuing you a security key, bbbbuuuttt you can choose instead to use your phone at your discretion."

Re: Ask HN: Should employers pay for employees' phones if 2FA apps are required?

#34

Post by SuperNinKenDo »

I simply will not use my personal phone for work purposes. I hesitate to even make a call in a pinch. There's no way employer mandated apps are going on there. If an employer doesn't provide a phone but expects these things, I will simply make them figure it out / work out an alternative solution with them.

In the worst case I would be prepared to be fired over this issue.

Re: Ask HN: Should employers pay for employees' phones if 2FA apps are required?

#35

Post by klyrs »

amne wrote: post #31
krunck wrote: post #27

If I am required to use my personal phone for work related 2FA and SMS(lots of services require a mobile phone number just to create an account), then I will start using work resources for my own personal benefit. Those GPUs are idle too much anyhow....

You know they'll give a low-tier samsung with physical buttons that barely passes for a smartphone and you'll complain in less than a week that you can't install work apps on your personal phone.

Speak for yourself, if my work gave me a phone like that for 2FA, it would be absolutely perfect because I wouldn't use it for anything but 2FA.

Re: Ask HN: Should employers pay for employees' phones if 2FA apps are required?

#36

Post by Lammy »

amne wrote: post #31
krunck wrote: post #27

If I am required to use my personal phone for work related 2FA and SMS(lots of services require a mobile phone number just to create an account), then I will start using work resources for my own personal benefit. Those GPUs are idle too much anyhow....

You know they'll give a low-tier samsung with physical buttons that barely passes for a smartphone and you'll complain in less than a week that you can't install work apps on your personal phone.

Please tell me where I can get a phone that runs modern Android and has physical buttons lol

Re: Ask HN: Should employers pay for employees' phones if 2FA apps are required?

#38

Post by notesinthefield »

I use an old iphone 8 for work 2FA apps and fall back to my phone number if the phone is dead or something . Only been in 1 environment that didnt allow that fallback and they gave me a phone. Ive been on both sides of this kind of policy and while many people would like to think they would make OP’s argument, Ive only ever had one person successfully argue it and…they were just given an extremely cheap old phone and a dongle.

Re: Ask HN: Should employers pay for employees' phones if 2FA apps are required?

#40

Post by out-of-ideas »

jpollock wrote: post #28

Personal devices should _never_ be used for work. That allows the line between self-owned work and employer-owned work to be thin/non-existent. That can make it a lot easier for your employer to own your personal projects. Don't do it. Don't use your corporate laptop for personal things, and don't use your personal equipment for corporate things. If they want to use 2FA, they need to provide the 2FA device.

i might be mistaken but i think a lot of the compliance standards go along the lines of do not mix personal and business equipment; to me this includes Phones - and it really should include a separate vlan (at least) for distributed employees.
Post reply on HN