I'm working remotely for a US company but moved to a Middle Eastern country last October without letting my employer know. I use the company VPN with two-factor authentication for accessing work software, and I've generally been fine until now. There's a new task that requires me to access software that's currently blocked due to my location. I could use a VPN on my corporate cellphone to access it, but it's not user-friendly. I'm wondering if I need to download a VPN on my company laptop to access this software. Would my company be aware if I download it? Since they haven't detected the mobile VPN, do I have lesser chances of being caught? Additionally, is there a web version available that doesn't require downloading anything?
3 Answers
Regarding your VPN question: downloading it could alert your company, but they may not notice right away. However, you can't count on being undetected. As for accessing web versions, it looks like you’re out of luck — this software typically requires a direct VPN connection. My suggestion? If you really need to access it, consider using a completely separate machine with a personal VPN instead. Just know this whole setup is very risky, especially given the data logs from your current location.
Honestly, you’re in a risky situation here. Your IT department can track your IP address, and most VPNs will raise red flags since they're already identified as anonymizers. If your company isn't aware now, they likely will be soon if someone decides to take a closer look at your activity. You could really put your job on the line. Just a heads up that they might let you go once they figure it out.
There are serious legal and tax issues involved if you’re working overseas without informing your company. If you aren't in a key position, this could lead to termination. You might want to reconsider using a VPN rather than risk everything by hiding behind one. This isn't the right forum to seek advice on how to navigate this situation either.
Connecting from a personal machine could help, but remember that even using a data center for the VPN raises suspicions too.