TeamViewer Download Ubuntu
What is TeamViewer?
TeamViewer can be described as remote control and remote access to computer software, permitting the maintenance of systems and other devices. In 2005, it was first published, and its functionality has increased step by step. This computer software is proprietary but doesn’t need any registration and it is free of cost for non-commercial usage. TeamViewer has been installed on 2 billion+ devices. It is the core commodity of developer TeamViewer AG.
History of TeamViewer
In 2005, Rossmanith GmbH published the first release of TeamViewer software. It was still working on the basis of the VNC project at that time. The IT service provider intended to ignore unnecessary trips to users and implement tasks like remotely installing software. The development was successful and provided rise to the TeamViewer GmbH, which is now implemented as TeamViewer Germany GmbH and it is a TeamViewer AG part.
Features of TeamViewer
Operating systems
TeamViewer is present for every desktop computer along with basic operating systems such as Windows Server, Microsoft Windows, and macOS of Apple as well. Also, there are many packages for various Linux derivatives and distributions, for example, Fedora Linux, Red Hat, Ubuntu, and Debian. Besides, there is a Raspberry Pi operating system which is a Debian version for the Raspberry Pi.
Also, TeamViewer is available for tablets and smartphones running iPadOS/iOS of Apple or Android operating system, with very restricted functionality on Linux-based OSes. Support for Windows Mobile and Windows Phone has been terminated after Microsoft was not supporting the two OSes.
TeamViewer Functionality
The TeamViewer functionality differs depending on the variant and device or software version. The TeamViewer core is remote access to systems, their maintenance and control, and other endpoints as well. The remote screen is clear at the other endpoint for the users after the connection is created. For example, both of these endpoints can receive files, send files, and access a distributed clipboard as well. Besides, a few functions provide team collaboration like video and audio transmissions using IP telephony.
The software functionality has been enhanced in particular for application in many large companies in recent years. The TeamViewer Tensor enterprise variant was developed for this aim. TeamViewer sells the program for remote support with the elements of augmented reality with TeamViewer Pilot. TeamViewer facilitates interfaces to other services and applications, for example, from ServiceNow, Salesforce, and Microsoft (teams). The solution is present in nearly every country and supports 30+ languages.
License policy of TeamViewer
Many private users who optimize TeamViewer for many non-commercial purposes, might optimize the software free of cost. Fees should be paid for the financial use of the software. Enterprises and other financial users should sign up for the subscription. An application purchase (one-time) is no longer feasible since the change from a license to the subscription model. The amount to use the software is scaled based on the number of customers and the number of simultaneous sessions as well. Updates are monthly published and included for every user.
Security of TeamViewer
Outgoing and incoming connections are possible by the local networks and Internet. If wanted, TeamViewer can execute as a service of Windows system, which permits unattended access by TeamViewer. Also, there is a portable version of this software that executes without installation completely, for example, by a USB data carrier.
The connection is created using automatically produced unique passwords and IDs. The network servers of TeamViewer inspect the ID validity of both endpoints before all connections. Security is increased by the fingerprint, which permits users to give additional proof of the Identity of the remote device. All passwords of users are protected in contrast to brute force attacks, especially by enhancing the waiting time among exponentially connection attempts. TeamViewer offers extra security aspects, like allow and block lists, two-factor authentication, etc.
- Before establishing a connection, TeamViewer software first inspects the configuration of the network and device for detecting limitations imposed by any firewall and other systems of the security.
- A direct UDP/TCP connection can usually be created so that no extra ports require to be opened.
- TeamViewer otherwise falls back over other paths like an HTTP tunnel.
- Data is sent exclusively using secure data channels irrespective of the connection type chosen.
- TeamViewer contains end-to-end encryption which is based on AES (256 bits) and RSA (4096 bits).
- The Man-in-the-middle attack is not possible according to the manufacturer.
- It is to be promised by the two key pair signed key exchange.
Abuse of TeamViewer
Account access
In China, many users of TeamViewer reported having their systems authorized by an unauthorized address and misappropriated bank accounts in June 2016. TeamViewer applied the outcome to the “careless password use” of the user and denied every responsibility, explaining “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 extra steps will prevent potential abuse”.
Support scam
TeamViewer software and other similar software could be abused for many technical support scams. Attackers assume to be users of well-known companies for gaining control on the computers of their victims in this process. Then they use an excuse for obtaining money through their victims. The TalkTalk (British Internet provider) temporarily blocked the data traffic of the software for this reason. TeamViewer condemns every form of software misuse, offers tips for safer use, and gives a way for investigating the corresponding incidence.
Installing TeamViewer in Ubuntu
TeamViewer is a cross-platform that is used for desktop sharing, web conferencing, remote control, and file transfer among computers. It permits a user to get access to another desktop of the user remotely. It is a famous application among the support staff of the helpdesk and is easy to use when supporting remote users who can’t get worthwhile assistance.
There are two different methods for installing TeamViewer in Ubuntu. Either, we can install TeamViewer manually using the TeamViewer repo or using the DEB package of TeamViewer. Also, it provides a freemium-like model. We can use TeamViewer for free for non-profit and personal use. It requires a subscription for professional use.
In this article, we will explain how we can install TeamViewer in Ubuntu.
Prerequisites
We will need to log in as the root user or user along with sudo access for installing packages on our Ubuntu system.
Installation process
TeamViewer is a computer software but it is not contained in the repositories of Ubuntu. We will download and get the package of TeamViewer.
Installing the DEB package of TeamViewer
It is the recommended method to install TeamViewer in Ubuntu. We can download this DEB package using the download page of Linux TeamViewer.
We can install the TeamViewer DEB package with the help of the APT command once the downloading process is completed. Then, we need to run the below command in the Ubuntu terminal:
Automatically, TeamViewer will configure the APT repo of TeamViewer if we follow this method.
Installing TeamViewer using TeamViewer repo
We will add the TeamViewer repo manually in this method and let APT to implement the rest. It is a little more complex than the old one.
We need to first add the GPG key of TeamViewer. We need to execute the below command in the terminal:
We will then add the repo of TeamViewer. The below repo is for the stable edition of TeamViewer.
Then, we will need to update the APT cache using the following command:
Now, we will finally install TeamViewer with the help of the following command in the terminal window:
How to use TeamViewer?
After installing the application, it can be launched either using the command line window or by pressing on its icon within the Applications menu.
We need to simply execute the following command in the terminal to start using the TeamViewer application from the command line window:
We need to go inside the “Activities Overview”, find TeamViewer, and then launch it to start it using the desktop GUI.
TeamViewer will start up with the license agreement in the initial run. We need to select “Accept License Agreement” to continue.
TeamViewer will display a password and ID of our machine. Credentials are mandatory in case anyone else wishes to link to our system.
Note: Credentials are temporary.
How to Uninstall TeamViewer?
We need to enter the below command as a sudo user for uninstalling TeamViewer from our system without deleting any configuration we might have made:
The system will prompt us with a Y/n option to start the uninstall procedure. We need to type Y and click the Enter button to start. Then, TeamViewer will be deleted from our system.
If we have made any configuration, we can delete TeamViewer and each those with the help of the below command:
Conclusion
TeamViewer is a robust but simple application at the same time. It does not take too many efforts for configuring and using it. Now we can connect to our customer or friend machine and provide immediate assistance.