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Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
221–230 of 434 posts
Re: Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
#222So many of the replies are saying that they should've restricted access using .md files and whatnot. Is really any guarantee that they even follow those? It seems like even if you ask pretty please don't touch those files, there's a chance they will. So many people have just willingly installed spyware on their computers and big tech calls this the next big thing.
This was posted on HN yesterday: https://gist.github.com/cereblab/dc9a40bc26120f4540e4e09b75f... If it’s to be trusted, it has nothing to do with the “agent” or what’s sent to the LLM. The harness will just straight up package the folder it’s run from and upload it to Google Cloud Storage.
> If it’s to be trusted, it has nothing to do with the “agent” or what’s sent to the LLM. The harness will just straight up package the folder it’s run from and upload it to Google Cloud Storage.
Even if there is a misunderstanding who is really uploading the directory, the TUI/CLI itself by actual code, or if the model decided to do so in the session, if you apply the recommendations from the replies to parent, and it no longer matter who did it, neither the software nor the model will be able to upload all your ssh keys.
Re: Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
So the idea is that these should be treated as programs in an extremely low trust environment, akin to running malware in a VM?
yes, this is basically experimental tech, if used with open source harnesses. if used with proprietary harnesses, treat as actual malware.
I treat all proprietary software as malware, though of course the risk surface varies
Re: Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
#224Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's the whole reason I refuse to install Google Drive or Dropbox's desktop applications. I only use the web interface so I know exactly what gets uploaded and when. I assume that anything running on my computer gets access to everything.
Sounds like a very wise decision to me. I found found out on my phone that the google photos application uploaded everything in my gallery to their servers without asking me, regardless that I had explicitly disabled all backup to my google accounts on the settings of the phone. I only figured it out when they sent me emails saying that my storage was full.
Ooooh, don't get me started how mad it makes me! I am paranoid (or just lucky) enough that I didn't yet had it happen to me, but my wife's phone had done it four times in the last year. Each time I check and double check that all "backups" are turned off, and each time it somehow pops back.
So, Google "backs up" a 128Gb worth of photos on the phone onto 15Gb free storage combined with Gmail and who knows what, completely clogs it (as if it couldn't be predicted) and then has audacity to suggest paying for "extra storage". There is no way in online UI to just delete the whole "backup". And the cherry on top: when you finally get to delete some there is a fine-print - "the selected photos will be deleted from all synced devices". Well, I guess I must be thankful that they at least show this warning. This is what passes as "backup" in Google's parlance these days.
Re: Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
#225"The "S" in AI stands for security" strikes again. Run any cloud-based AI agents in VM/container and map your host's local folders to guest OS as needed. Takes more effort that default way, I know.
> Run any cloud-based AI agents in VM
... that's guaranteed vuln-free, right?
Re: Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
#226Earlier quoted context omitted.
So the idea is that these should be treated as programs in an extremely low trust environment, akin to running malware in a VM?
yes, this is basically experimental tech, if used with open source harnesses. if used with proprietary harnesses, treat as actual malware.
I never thought about it in that extreme, but just today the google results ai gave me conflicting information from one search to another. Maybe I should start.
P.S. the conflicting information was Keith Richard's age. One search said he was 37 Dec 18 1981, the other said he was 37 in 1980.
Re: Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
#227And this is why so many people run these inside of VMs. Still baffles me how these tools became so accepted when tossing out a `curl -o example.com/script.sh | bash` would be met with (rightful) skepticism until that script was examined.
Different user classes?
Re: Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
#228that's why you need to use a sandbox.
SmolVM can easily run Pi, codex and claude https://github.com/CelestoAI/smolVM
Re: Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
#229So many of the replies are saying that they should've restricted access using .md files and whatnot. Is really any guarantee that they even follow those? It seems like even if you ask pretty please don't touch those files, there's a chance they will. So many people have just willingly installed spyware on their computers and big tech calls this the next big thing.
[deleted]
Re: Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
#230I commented not so long ago to people very invested in AI, agents and tokens that are very enthusiast that I would not use an agent for security reasons and loss of control (besides suboptimal output).
It seems I was not wrong.
Not that I do not use AI. I do: fenced, always pasting my snippets and NEVER giving access to my code. Always from the browser. I know what it can do well and which workflows accelerates for me. But I do not want to think that my whole project ends up somewhere else.