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Sticky Actual Linux threat via TeamViewer

Had one of those scam calls from india tonight Windows Help my computer is running slow they could fix it.I told him i had linux and he was unconcerned ,said enter url TeamViewer.com.I googled instead and found IT does work on Linux and is a very effective remote controler of my PC !!!
This should urgently go out to the Linux community WE ARE NOT SAFE.
More info TeamViewer can be downloaded for Linux as an executable file, no installation required

Read also other post on googling "teamviewer.com linux scam"

Re: Computer Support Scam
I use teamviewer .. free but powerful remote control I use for my home pc
peek at my cam, control downloads . Unlike Logmein, the more popular remote control software, teamviewer has less fuzz with security and client even works from my cheap zte SF android phone. Too bad its now used for scams. Thanks for the heads up, have to keep my security airtight now.

You may be right, but your post reads more as an advertisement for the product. It doesn't really matter what these callers want you to install, the important thing is - don't install it.

If I remember correctly, teamviewer requires wine to be run. It also involves you allowing someone to control your machine. Haven't used it in months, don't remember the exact details.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilead (Post 4453511)

It doesn't really matter what these callers want you to install, the important thing is - don't install it.

Same goes for teamviewer: if you don't need it then don't install it. If you do install it then learn about security features. Most problems with VNC, Vino, teamviewer etc, etc stem from users just being lazy and not caring an ounce about security.

This is not mean't to be any advertisement

I have no intention to advertise the above but too warn Linux users we are not as safe as we think we
are though most Linux users are tech savvy,but i never try rpm etc but an executable like chrome or the above
opens the door to the same problems as Windoze.
Is discussing a threat now,better than waiting for a contagion to happen.
This scam is becoming more active only need to google the above to see many people have lost and are losing money.

Someone trying to social-engineer you into giving them remote access to your computer isn't exactly Linux-specific. No-one would have thought that Linux is immune to this either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolin67j (Post 4453534)

Don't believe everything you read on the interwebz. You don't have to be particularly tech savvy to use Linux, either. With any remote software, if you don't control who can access it, you're setting yourself up to fail. Almost every response to your post stated this...you should pay heed to the responses.

This is more PEBKAC than anything...

Thank you for all the replies,i would apologise for some poor sentence construction and grammar.
Anyway doing more interwebbing (googling) there are Linux threats but most are foiled by the need for root
password and binary installations presumably rpm s etc that i don't understand as i only use the repository.
The untalked of is the availability of linux executables like TeamWViewer and the telephone scammers know it.
Anyway i have instaled Firestarter and ClamAv though i cannot find the latter in My Applications list
has malware blocked it ?? Am i infected.

From http://www.theage.com.au/money/plann...823-1j77i.html, a recent article I read that shows the sophistication of social engineering used by scammers.

Quote:

Scammers often pose as legitimate institutions, pretending to be from companies such as Microsoft or Sensis or government agencies including the Australian Tax Office, the Australian Treasury and even Consumer Affairs Victoria, says the Minister for Consumer Affairs in Victoria, Michael O'Brien.

One of the most common scams reported to CAV in the past year was the ''computer repair'' or Microsoft ruse, which generated more than 1300 complaints, or about one in five of all the scam reports, in that state, O'Brien says.

The same deception is responsible for about 15 per cent of scam reports in NSW. In this scam, the victims are contacted out of the blue over the phone and told their computer is infected with a virus. The scammers tell the victims they need remote access to their computer to fix the virus and then use remote access to steal banking or other personal details.

In some cases, they may tell the victims they have ''fixed'' their computer and charge them a fee for the service.

My spouse took a number of calls from these scammers before I finally was at home to take the call. I made it apparent that I was highly sceptical, but the caller was persistent in the request to turn on my computer so I decided to play along. I turned on the computer and turned off the modem. The caller immediately hung up. I never even got the chance to test my Linux defences! Oh, and they have not been back.

These fake tech support calls have been going on a while now, and the FTC has just started cracking down on them. Link. I'm not convinced they were going to install Linux malware and such, because I would think I would have heard of it.

It's possible, but it's also likely that they were connecting to your computer, going to say they found malware, and then going to request your credit card number. They also seem to try to diffuse the situation and end the call without the user being suspicious, so I'm not surprised they wouldn't show concern when they find out you're using Linux. In fact, I've even heard of one of them connecting to either a Mac or Linux box and trying to install Windows software. I also saw a youtube video a while ago where a woman said she knew it was a scam because she was running a Mac, and the scammer insisted she was running Windows 95!