Session closing when accessing online banking

I'm not sure if this is a feature/bug of TeamViewer or Santander, but when I have a remote session open and I go to Santanders online banking login page on the host PC, my remote connection immediately terminates.

https://retail.santander.co.uk/LOGSUK_NS_ENS/BtoChannelDriver.ssobto?dse_operationName=LOGON&dse_contextRoot=true

I've tried this on Chrome, Chrome Canary, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Edge and they all produce the same results.

Same thing happens when I go to the site on the computer that I am remote controlling. Is this a security feature? If so is it to do with TeamViewer or the bank?

Best Answer

Answers

  • Webmaster1
    Webmaster1 Posts: 1

    Hi,

    I recently wanted to make a withdrawal from an on-line bank savings account. Possibly because of the amount, I had to telephone the bank for them to authorise the withdrawal. During the proof of identity conversation they suddenly said, "You've got TeamViewer on your laptop, are you aware of this?'

    I had to explain that I'd installed it myself, it's my TeamViewer account and I use it to assist family and friends with their Computer problems.

    Everything was genuine. I was logged into my bank account and I made the phone call, so I know I was talking to my bank.

    It concerns me that they were able to identify that TeamViewer is on the device I was using to access the bank account. How do they know that? If they can do it, does that mean other websites can 'see' what's on my computer?

     Would welcome any comments and explanation for the above.

    Thanks

  • Iologik
    Iologik Posts: 2
    Same problem with Efirstbank. Any host running 12.3 has this happen, leading me to think it's a bug in that release. May have to roll back.
  • AlanW1
    AlanW1 Posts: 157 [Former Staff]

    Hi bailey, 

    Thank you for posting. 

    It is true that your remote connetion will terminate when you try to log in online bank. It is most probaly because these websites safety functions prevent any screen capture, which unfortunitely is the way TeamViewer is working. 

    One workaround is that you can try these login page on the remote devices other than host PCs. Or when your connection terminates, just try to connect again. 

    Hope this helps you.

  • Iologik
    Iologik Posts: 2
    If this is the case, why does it not happen on version 12.0 only 12.3?
  • JLE
    JLE Posts: 13

    Me too.  Also when loging into ebay. Have you got a solution yet?


  • @AlanW1 wrote:

    Hi bailey, 

    Thank you for posting. 

    It is true that your remote connetion will terminate when you try to log in online bank. It is most probaly because these websites safety functions prevent any screen capture, which unfortunitely is the way TeamViewer is working. 

    One workaround is that you can try these login page on the remote devices other than host PCs. Or when your connection terminates, just try to connect again. 

    Hope this helps you.


     

    No, this does not help me.  Because sometimes, I need to log into a bank website WHILE I'm in a Teamviewer chat because we're discussing something and I need to look it up while I'm talking to that other person.

    So it sounds like TeamViewer made a change that makes it possible for banks to disable the TeamViewer connection.  This is NOT acceptable.  It should be MY choice when to end my session - not a website's!

    If anything, you should have made this a configuration setting - to allow bank websites to end TeamViewer sessions for security, OR NOT.

    It's not your place to make that decision for the user. 

    I find that I'm getting more and more disenchanted with TeamViewer due to various changes you've made over the past year.

  • Scotty
    Scotty Posts: 493 Staff member 🤠

    Hi @Monty8

    This isn't true at all. We did not make any such change.

    Banks are forever changing the way that their security works.
    They have scripts that run inside browsers that can do many things such as interrupt the screen capture API or prevent screenshots.

    These are designed mainly to stop spyware that may be recording your screen without your knowledge.

    As our software changes over time there may have been something we did inadvertently that caused us to trigger one of their protections when the software did not before.

    However in this case, to be blunt we are not going to fight with each bank that runs security software like this as it turns into a never-ending game of cat and mouse with them making changes that they won't tell us about and us making changes that we won't tell them about all in the name of security.

    Long story short, if your bank has security measures like this, then we cannot guarantee you will be able access that banks site remotely sorry.

    -Scotty

    Senior Moderator
    Did my reply answer your question? Why not accept it as a solution to help others?
  • You claim a cat-and-mouse game, but I've been using TeamViewer for years, and this is the first time I've ever run across this.

    Perhaps it's just a matter of one change that introduced this vulnerability, in which case it may be an easy fix.  I would think you would have a vested interest in preventing a browser script from interfering with your program's functionality.

  • JLE
    JLE Posts: 13
    It's strange that it happened to eBay as well. I get kicked out when logging into eBay and problem started at same time as with banking. Coincidence? I have not tried rolling back to previous version of TV, but you could always try it.

  • @JLE wrote:
    It's strange that it happened to eBay as well. I get kicked out when logging into eBay and problem started at same time as with banking. Coincidence? I have not tried rolling back to previous version of TV, but you could always try it.

    Then it's definitely sounding like something that TeamViewer needs to address.  This is getting ridiculous.  A website should not disable a completely different application.

    If this is based on a security script, then it sounds like it's a single third-party script that multiple companies are using.

    TeamViewer needs to address this immediately.

  • JLE
    JLE Posts: 13
    For what it is worth I can confirm that there is no problem with V12.
  • JLE
    JLE Posts: 13

    **  UPDATE  **

    It transpires that there are no problems if local computer running latest V13 provided that remote computer is running V12.  Connection is also possible this way, but not the other way. So you only have to downgrade your remote computers to V12.

  • I found a better solution that lets you use the latest version of TeamViewer.  I use uBlockOrigin on my browser, which is blocking whatever script is being used on the bank's website and lets TeamViewer continue running.

    I don't know exactly which script it is because I never needed to target it directly.  One of the optional default lists apparently covers it, so that's a good solution for me.   I had previously had uBlockOrigin turned off for the bank site - but I discovered that turning it on fixed the issue completely, so I thought I would share that with everyone else.

  • Dear All,

    I own to MAC's (one remote) and after closing a successful session I am unable to start a second session. Could anyone help me out?

     

     

  • JLE
    JLE Posts: 13

    I tried the uBlockOrigin suggestion, and I could not get it to work, even when enabling and updating all the filters.  If there is any advice that you can provide on setting it up, I am sure that it would be appreciated by all.  Many thanks.

  • JLE
    JLE Posts: 13

    Problem seems to be resolved in TeamViewer 14.

    So we now possibly have 2 solutions.  Go back to TV12 or install TV14.

  • I had this exact same thing happen to me today! I simply was paying money to my church & the fraud team rang me & said we see you have installed Teamviewer on your computer, were you aware of this? They claim that Teamviewer has been used in online banking scams. I was very angry and asked who gave them permission to investigate what software I have on my laptop. When I asked how they found this out they were very cagey & said that it was protected information (but they can access my laptop without permission!!!) It would be useful if somebody at Team Viewer could comment on this! I notice the previous post was made in 2107 3 years ago & yet there does not appear to be any response. Come on TV, let's have some answers to this!!