TeamViewer Insists There Was No Hacking

When news of a data breach occurs, typically the company whose information was hacked issues a statement to the effect of an ongoing cybersecurity investigation, informs the affected users, and offers up whatever legal reparations are required, such as credit monitoring or free copies of the victims’ credit reports. But in the case of recent complaints that TeamViewer’s web-based remote access was hacked–which then led to reports of victims’ bank accounts being drained and PayPal accounts being used without authorization–the company insists they were not hacked.

The shadiness begins with TeamViewer’s service suddenly going offline, which victims state occurred during the time their passwords were being accessed and their accounts used. TeamViewer first insisted it was nothing more than a technical glitch, but now says it was just a denial-of-service attack. The victims, however, claim that their computers were taken over via the TeamViewer service, which then allowed hackers to access and empty their bank accounts, buy outrageous amounts of gift cards , and even place orders on Amazon and eBay. One victim who posted on Reddit described watching his mouse move across his screen, and then the steps that an unauthorized user attempted next.

There’s an interesting, if somewhat dubious, explanation for what happened, at least as far as TeamViewer is concerned: a previous data breach. The company has already stated that they’ve run a full scan and have found no evidence whatsoever of a breach, and they’re pointing the finger at other breaches in which the victims’ passwords may have been accessed. TeamViewer has specifically cited the recent discovery of LinkedIn usernames and passwords for sale online, and has supported the idea that victims used the same password on both websites, which then led to their TeamViewer accounts being accessed.