British ISP TalkTalk has decided to block desktop management tool TeamViewer from its network due to scammers using the software to defraud people.
TeamViewer isn't the only one that was blocked on the network, a spokeswoman told The Register . In fact, they've stopped access to a number of sites and applications in order to better protect users from phishing and scamming activities.
TalkTalk said it was working with TeamViewer and other third parties to add some extra security measures. If all goes according to plan, they'll likely get whitelisted again.
A scammer's dream toolIt was recently revealed that TeamViewer was being used by hundreds of scammers attempting to defraud people across the Internet, including TalkTalk customers, after gaining remote access to their computers.
A recent campaign signaled by security company Heimdal saw the TeamViewer app used as an espionage tool with the help of TeamSpy malware. This particular attack involved a keylogger and a VPN tool.
This is an issue TeamViewer has been working on for some time now, condemning the use of the tool to subvert systems and gain unauthorized access to private data.
As one would expect, the news got mixed reactions. On one hand, some users are happy for the change, while others are already looking into switching ISPs.
People are complaining on TalkTalk's forums about the issues they've encountered, and all the time they've spent trying to fix the issue, when, in reality, the TeamViewer app was blocked by the ISP.
In its defense, TalkTalk notes that it has received a lot of complaints from customers regarding these tools and the fraudulent purposes they've been used for.
"We constantly monitor for potentially malicious Internet traffic, so that we can protect our customers from phishing and scamming activities. As part of this work we have recently blocked a number of sites and applications from our network, and we're working hard to minimize the impact on our customers," a spokesperson said.
