TeamViewer can't bring itself to say someone broke into its network – but it happened TeamViewer on Thursday said its security team just "detected an irregularity" within one of its networks – which is a fancy way of saying someone broke in. We're told this "irregularity" was spotted inside TeamViewer's corporate IT environment on Wednesday, and that the biz immediately called in reinforcements in the form of …
Why, are Microsoft big users of TeamViewer? I wouldn't have thought so as surely they'd regard it as a competing product - unless you know something I don't?
(Where's the "I'm confused now" icon when you need one?)
Going back a year or two, I had weekly support people from Microsoft offering to fix problems with my computer, even though it uses Linux. After about 5 minutes of me telling them that Ctrl-R was not doing anything they would resort to asking me to download Teamviewer which I did. For some reason the Teamviewer install program would not work on Ubuntu.
I emailed Teamviewer suggesting they put a warning on their home page advising of possible misuse, but I think I had a negative response.
They were a major accessory to extortion and did not give a shit so to see the boot on the other foot does not worry me.
I think Colin dutifully downloaded the version he was told to download, i.e. the windows version. And the inability to run this windows binary on a Linux was yet another point of confusion for the scammer.
Personally, I've been known to keep a handful of horribly infested Windows VMs around to drop these scum into. In fact, I still have one with BonziBuddy on it. Some of these VM's cross the threshold of "It is infected, if this was a human being, I'd shoot it in the face".
"I think Colin dutifully downloaded the version he was told to download, i.e. the windows version. And the inability to run this windows binary on a Linux was yet another point of confusion for the scammer."
When I used to play dumb with those scammers, I was quite surprised one day when a particularly clever one (or their Boss/script writer) moved on to trying to get me to download and install the Linux binary. I gave up at that point, but was using FreeBSD so it probably would not have installed anyway :-) I believe Teamviewer can be made to work on FreeBSD, but it's a simple click/install/go operation.
That, and the recent requirement to create a Teamviewer account before you can use the free, personal version to do remote connections - technically, last I checked, only one party to the connection has to have an account, but it's still a PITA.
I have happy memories of using TV a decade or more ago to do tech support for my family - even a non-technical parent can follow instructions along the lines of "go to teamviewer dot com, click the download button, run it, then tell me the 6-digit code that it's displaying." But of course, enshittification being a constant in the universe (along with death and taxes) they had to progressively make it more complicated. Alphanumeric codes ("is that a lower case L or a 1?" etc), account registration, and as you alluded, all-too-frequent accusations of commercial use.
I have happy memories of using TV a decade or more ago to do tech support for my family - even a non-technical parent can follow instructions along the lines of "go to teamviewer dot com, click the download button, run it, then tell me the 6-digit code that it's displaying."
Same here. I also used it on an old laptop with webcam to work as a babyphone for my first born more than 13 years ago.
[quote]
even a non-technical parent can follow instructions along the lines of "go to teamviewer dot com, click the download button, run it, then tell me the 6-digit code that it's displaying."
[/quote]
Sadly, no. The first bit was taken care of by me installing the app on the tablet. However, most telephone conversations that turn into tech support are along the lines of:
Me: OK, so start QuickSupport
Parent: Uh...
Me: It's on the home screen
Parent: Uh...
Me: I was there last week, it's on the right-hand side at the bottom [* and the home screen launcher is locked down]
Parent: Uh....oh yes, sorry. It's so difficult.
Me: OK, so give me the number.
Parent: Uh...there's no number.
Me: OK, so what does it say on the screen.
Parent: Uh...
Me: So in the box that came up, there's usually a number, last time it was xxxxx
Parent: Uh...oh yeah.
Parent: It says somebody's trying to access my phone! [Panic]
Me: Well obviously that's me, that's what we're doing, but if it's not me on the phone don't allow it. But you agree that it is me on the phone, right? So allow it.
Me: OK, I'm connected now, we can hang up....the phone, but please don't use the tablet or switch it off.
To be honest, if Teamviewer is now a sufficient security risk that it should no longer be used, then I'd be relieved! And yeah, the change to needed an account, even if only at the admin end, made the above even more painful.
I’ve just started exploring HelpWire (*) which currently is free, other than finding an answer to the question how are they funding the service, my only other concern is with development being based in Ukraine, it’s longevity is open to question.
(*) No longer have access to paid Tv
Seems strange most atl complaining about turning away from TV because of some basic identity and security requirements!
Doesn't then excuse the parent company being compromised on it's own network but you can imagine them being a prime target seeing how many organisations they have some reach into via their software.
Still one of the best remote solutions out there though.
Remember when TV accounts were compromised and everyone started getting unrecognized Amazon purchases delivered to unknown addresses? 'Oh no, it wasn't us!' was the cry.
And now they force us to use those same TV accounts. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?!
I used to use this quite a lot but i'd say in the last 12 months or even longer it has been as much use as a chocolate tea pot. Regardless of installing the latest versions at both ends you get errors when trying to connect to someone who needs remote support. I use Quick assist instead now, it's clunky but it works.
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