Teamviewer, a piece of software that people can use to remote-control PCs, appears to have been hacked. Numerous user reports have indicated that unknown third parties are taking control of PCs and trying to steal money, through services like PayPal or eBay. Needless to say, this looks bad.
Teamviewer has denied the allegations, but something’s definitely going on. Dozens of Reddit users are flooding the /r/teamviewer forum looking for advice, and one of my personal friends asked my advice after reporting something very similar.
It all started after I used the web interface to log in (using my corporate details) to my work TeamViewer account one evening to assist a colleague following an urgent email. Even though it was a completely different account, with different login details it still initiated the same client on my machine, and I think this is where the issue lay.
What Is My Teamviewer Username Reset
- With helpful user manuals, first step documents and general how-to guides available, you will learn exactly how to use TeamViewer to the fullest. Whether using the all-in-one solution as an IT department or a managed service provider, intuitive functions such as Wake-on-LAN, unattended access and ticket assigning are all at your disposal.
- What are you referring to, as “being blocked for personal use”? Are you trying to access teamviewer and can not connect from your workplace to your computers at home?
- Your Digital Workforce, Instantly Connected and Remotely Supported. Maximize remote workforce productivity with Teamviewer Remote Access and Remote Support. Enable dispersed teams to remote in to the devices they need, the moment they need them – without requiring VPN.
The accounts on Reddit and from my friend all sound similar: someone takes remote access of a PC, and then signs into something like eBay, PayPal, or email services. It’s pretty obvious what is going on — Teamviewer isn’t a backdoor, but a remote control program, so the mouse moves around the screen like there’s an actual user controlling it.
Teamviewer claims it isn’t a problem with its system, but rather with users’ individual credentials. It’s certainly possible — with the recent LinkedIn security breach, there’s millions of email/password combos in the wild, and people are notorious for re-using logins across different sites and services.
But there’s also mounting evidence that it’s some kind of flaw in Teamviewer’s software. My friend claimed he used a unique password, and other users with two-factor authentication enabled have said that they have been hacked, which is virtually impossible if it’s just username/password combos being tried.
In a statement issued today but attributed to a week ago, Teamviewer denied any breach of its systems:
TeamViewer is appalled by any criminal activity; however, the source of the problem, according to our research, is careless use, not a potential security breach on TeamViewer’s side. Therefore TeamViewer underscores the following aspects:
Neither was TeamViewer hacked nor is there a security hole
TeamViewer is safe to use and has proper security measures in place
Our evidence points to careless use as the cause of the reported issue
A few easy steps will help prevent potential abuse
Something weird is going on, however: Teamviewer’s site was down for a few hours this morning, a problem the service attributed to a DNS problem.
While the breaches are being investigated, here’s a few things you can do to ensure any machine you’re running is safe.
- Log out of your Teamviewer account on any machines running the service, so that access can’t be gained by a username/password combo.
- Uninstall Teamviewer if you’re particularly paranoid (or, to be honest, if you’re not expressly using it right now).
- Check the log, which can be found under Extras–>Open log files, and look for any unexpected incoming connections
- Check your credit cards, PayPal and eBay accounts for suspicious activity
- Change the password on your Teamviewer account, and check haveibeenpwned.com to see if your email has any known hacks that could reveal your password.
Whichever way you cut it, this doesn’t look good for Teamviewer. Remote-access software has to trade on the strength of unbreakable security; just the faintest hint that there’s a major security breach could kill the product.
How to find my TeamViewer ID
You will need to access the Windows desktop of the machine in order to get the TeamViewer number:
Teamviewer User Id
- Look in the system tray (that's the bottom right corner of the Windows desktop, near the clock). If you do not see the icon please click the up arrow to reveal hidden icons.
- You will find a Blue icon for TeamViewer Host
- Right-click this icon and click Show TeamViewer
- This screen will give you a six to ten-digit ID number and Password
How To Get Teamviewer Id
Additional Information
TeamViewer Host is pre-installed on all Associations International branded hardware. TeamViewer uses a six to ten-digit ID number to identify each computer. In the event that the AI Service Desk needs to access your machine, they will likely need this ID number and a password in order to initiate the connection.
If you are unable to find the TeamViewer installation on your machine please notify the service desk so that it can be installed on your machine.