TeamViewer
TeamViewer lets someone view and control a computer over the internet to provide help or access files. It’s made by TeamViewer, based in Germany.
Criminals have used its name in fake downloads or scams, so get it only from teamviewer.com.
What it is
People use TeamViewer to help with computer problems or access another computer remotely. QuickSupport receives help, the full client provides support, and Host allows access when nobody is sitting at the computer.
With the relevant Mac permissions, a remote person can see your screen, control your mouse and keyboard, and transfer files. These permissions support its main functions. They remain available for future connections until changed.
It has legitimate support uses, but criminals also use it in scams. Scamwatch advises hanging up on callers who ask you to download remote access software. Check the person's identity using contact details you found independently.
Who makes it
TeamViewer is a German software business founded in 2005, with its parent company, TeamViewer SE, listed in Frankfurt. Its legal name is TeamViewer Germany GmbH. Its website is teamviewer.com.
Is it the real one?
Every Mac app carries a signature from the developer who made it. Apple checks who the developer is before handing out the certificate, and macOS refuses to open an app whose signature has been tampered with.
HARD hasn’t yet recorded the signature on a real copy of TeamViewer. Its Mac app shows who signed the copy you have.
Its bundle ID, the name macOS knows it by, is com.teamviewer.TeamViewer or com.teamviewer.TeamViewerHost or com.teamviewer.TeamViewerQS or com.teamviewer.Desktop. Download it only from teamviewer.com, not from an ad or a link someone sends you.
Fakes. In May 2024, Scamwatch warned that criminals impersonating banks and technology businesses asked people to install TeamViewer, then used remote access and requests for banking codes to steal money.
Scammers ask people to install or open TeamViewer in these scams, so only use it with someone you contacted yourself: Amazon scam emails, texts and calls, Cash App scams, Coinbase scams, Geek Squad scam emails, McAfee scam emails and pop-ups, Norton renewal scam emails and Venmo scams.
What it connects to
In normal use, TeamViewer talks to these places on the internet. A firewall that asks before apps connect, like the one in HARD’s Mac app, will show them.
| Address | Why |
|---|---|
master*.teamviewer.com | Establish remote connections. |
router*.teamviewer.com | Route remote connections. |
configdl.teamviewer.com | Download configuration and customisation data. |
webapi.teamviewer.com | Account assignment and API services. |
www.recaptcha.net | reCAPTCHA verification in the interface. |
www.gstatic.com | Resources used by reCAPTCHA. |
cdn.cookielaw.org | Cookie banner in the interface. |
What it can see
macOS asks you before an app can use these. You can change them any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
| Permission | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Screen Recording | Lets the remote person see the Mac's screen during support sessions and meetings. |
| Accessibility | Lets the remote person control the mouse and keyboard; renamed Device Control and Data Access in macOS 27. |
| Device Control and Data Access | The macOS 27 name for remote input permissions; managed Macs may also need consent to generate keyboard and mouse events. |
| Full Disk Access | Allows access to files and folders for file transfers, including transfers outside a remote control session. |
| Remote Desktop | Keeps unattended access working and suppresses repeated screen capture warnings. |
| Local Network | Allows direct connections to computers on the same network and nearby device discovery. |
Security record
Problems with TeamViewer or TeamViewer in the last three years, newest first. Keeping the app up to date covers the ones that were fixed.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mac flaws could let attackers run code through screen data or recordings, or gain administrator-level access locally; fixes were released in version 15.83.3. | ↗ | |
| Flaws affecting Macs allowed remote session permission bypasses, harmful recording playback and privileged file writes; they were fixed in version 15.82. | ↗ | |
| A remote session participant could write transferred files to unintended locations and potentially run code; version 15.81.5 fixed the flaw. | ↗ | |
| An authenticated attacker with device management permissions could bypass connection approval on Macs configured for unattended access; version 15.80 fixed it. | ↗ | |
| Attackers copied employee directory data from TeamViewer's corporate systems; TeamViewer said it contained and remediated the breach without affecting its products or customer data. | ↗ |
References
- TeamViewer macOS downloads teamviewer.com
- MobileIron integration: TeamViewer Mac bundle identifiers teamviewer.com
- TeamViewer imprint teamviewer.com
- TeamViewer to acquire 1E teamviewer.com
- Remote control a Mac teamviewer.com
- Solve an aborted file transfer teamviewer.com
- Changes in Mobile Device Management on macOS 27 affecting TeamViewer community.teamviewer.com
- Use TeamViewer Remote in LAN teamviewer.com
- Update TeamViewer teamviewer.com
- Ports and URLs used by TeamViewer teamviewer.com
- TeamViewer changelogs community.teamviewer.com
- TeamViewer macOS version 15.83.3 release notes community.teamviewer.com
- Scamwatch: Hang up on remote access scammers scamwatch.gov.au
- TV-2026-1011: Security update for vulnerabilities in TeamViewer clients teamviewer.com
- TV-2026-1010: Security update for multiple vulnerabilities teamviewer.com
- TV-2026-1008: Improper validation of file paths teamviewer.com
- TV-2026-1007: Bypass of two-factor approval for unattended Mac connections teamviewer.com
- TV-2024-1005: TeamViewer IT security incident teamviewer.com