Can you trust techs from soft/hardware support to take over your keyboard?

As the title asks, should you let a tech take over your keyboard to solve a software problem?

 

Of course...well once they are a reputable company, that is.

 

Thanks again Makeveli. I'm breathing a little easier now.

 

If they bell or rogers then not in a million years.

ps.: Personally I would never ever give access over the net or physically to my computers to anyone
I trust in my lifetime experience that begin from b4 ibm xt better then someone who is just doing his/her job.

 

Well, before you do that, maybe explain your problem to us. We're always glad to help out.

 

Yeah, it's no problem. What do you think they are going to do? You sit there watching everything going on anyway. And you still have control over your stuff. It is like plugging in two mice and keyboards at once.

 

If you mean remote desktop, then no. If you're referring to rogers or bell, then HELL no. The only time I've ever found it acceptable to use RDC is on networked/corporate owned machines (ie in a university or a corp). I suppose if a relative that was not good with computers lived far away I'd stick vnc on their machine...

 

I'm with the paranoid ones- no way.
If they know what's wrong they can tell you and you can fix it yourself. If they don't they're just fishing and I don't want that.

 

My work uses an outside service to host its servers and desktop, we log on over a vpn and do our work from remote sites and even the main office. I always have my security set so it says they have no access to my local machine. Am I safe from their snooping or am I open to their techs. It is a Citrix envioprnment. The reason I ask is sometimes I work from home on my own lappy.

 

You said that you use VPN, so it is safe because your session is encrypted.

 

The client is usually secure depending on software and setup. (unless company setup os/security with backdoors preset)
But when acting as host/server doors are opened most time for anything.

General precaution .. don't use work computer for home and personal 'stuff'.

 

Depends on whos connecting and what means they are using to do so. Aslong as its a reputable company and not an Indian ' Microsoft Support Scam'.

At work i provide remote support on a daily basis to employees that work at home, none of them question me. I normally give support via Cisco VPN and RDP/VNC.

 

What are you trying to say? The guy said he uses Critrix terminal server through VPN. I don't get what are you trying to say. VPN, regarding the implemetation method or vendor, has the same principle. Terminal server always has limitation by nature, and the user will have something like guest account access on the VPN anyway. He can't go anywhere else on the network if he wants to.

Can you explain your point of view? I never seen anyone open TS for anything beside what the client needs to do and nothing more.

 

So; no one has given an actual case of abuse, or what to do if you are concerned but have to use the service, or how to check for damage (if that's possible). I think I'll hang with makaveli72 and Forge on this one. I have a full virus and malware internet protection with firewall program, and I'm going to trust that they are functional. Live and learn and occasionally trust. Thanks all for the input.