Security geeks: should I be worried about software HP has reporters install?
I’ve been meaning to pose this question for a while, here’s the setup: HP, like most companies, pre-briefs members of the press on upcoming announcements. Naturally this is all under embargo / NDA / pinky-swear — so even discussing this stuff unlikely to win me any brownie points, but oh well — and the last time I was briefed, my media contacts requested I install some web conferencing software called HP Virtual Rooms. Presumably this is software HP uses not only with press, but also for working with partners and even secure internal conferencing.
Despite my many, many reservations about installing an application to gain access to the briefing — especially considering HP’s positively egregious history of spying on reporters — I went ahead with it since otherwise they they couldn’t proceed. Yeah, I should have installed Little Snitch, but I was on the phone with four HP people and was already holding up the show.
So the 64k question with tin-foil hat trimming: would you be worried? Perhaps more importantly, are you brave enough to install and test HP’s Virtual Rooms software yourself? Download it here, hit me back. Where’s Schneier when you need him?
I'm an editor and technology critic in the midst of founding a new web startup: 
My suggestion is install it on a virtual machine that does not have anything of value on it. Safe or not why worry about it? They can scan the virtual and get nothing.
I am a security paranoid person and would never install unknown software without using a software firewall. There are too many applications that phone home without the users consent. Little Snitch is a great program on the OS X side of things and Kerio Personal Firewall on Windows.
As Christian said, a VM would have solved this issue as well. You could even disable networking on the VM to confirm that it does not phone home. That also depends on whether or not the application needs internet access to begin with.
For a more specific answer to the question: HP software sucks. As someone who supports quite a few computers I refuse to install any software made by HP. On the Windows side it all causes slow computers and even blue screens. I will often spend quite a bit of time getting a pure INF driver so that I do not have to install their software. I no longer recommend buying their hardware just because their software is so painful.
You can install Little Snitch now and see what the HP software is doing.. If you find anything suspicious please let us know..