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Saturday
March 13, 2010 Since 1922 |
Worry about someone controlling my computer?
By Aaron Barbee
Contributor Published August 16, 2009 Question: Guru! I just got off the phone with HP in an attempt to fix a scanning problem I am having. They didn’t fix it and I’ll be calling you, but what bothers me is that they were able to remote control my computer. Please tell me how they did this and if I should worry. Hurry, I can’t sleep at night until I get an answer!
Answer: The short end of it is that they can’t really get into your computer without your permission. Usually they have you go to a special Web site that will allow them to control your computer. While this may seem scary, just remember it’s something you have to initiate on your end. They can’t come in uninvited.
While someone is in control of your computer, generally you’ll be able to see what is going on, i.e. the mouse moving, and things like that. There are other ways to control a computer, but those will blank out the screen and you won’t see anything. To my knowledge, there’s no way to control someone’s computer while they are using it without their knowledge.
There are methods to configure your networking equipment and your computer to allow someone to control your computers remotely without being invited to do so. However, all this has to be set up from the home or office, and your computer guy will have to do it. Even then, the person will need to know login names and passwords to get in.
I have seen some scary situations where a computer guy was let go for whatever reason and the electronic backdoors were left open, but the new computer guy should be able to close these and lock them keeping unwanted eyes out. I’ve done this many times and generally it’s not an issue. Whenever I take over support for a company, that’s one of the first couple things I do; ask about the old computer guy to get a feel for any potential problems, and check the network equipment and security for any potential backdoors. Any tech worth his salt will do this.
If you want to remote control your own computer that’s at home or the office, there’s a neat service that’s geared for the end user to manage this themselves. It’s called LogMeIn, and you can find the service at www.logmein.com.
At the Web site, you set up an account using your e-mail address. Then, while sitting at the computer you want to remote control, you download a little program and put it on the computer. Now it’s constantly connected to LogMeIn and can be accessed from the Internet by logging into your account. Keep in mind you still need the name and password for your desktop in addition to your LogMeIn name and password, so it’s still relatively safe.
This may be a great simple solution for some, but others may have a stroke over the mere idea of having their computer accessible remotely. Just keep in mind as I said above, it has to be set up from within and you’ll be able to see if someone’s controlling your computer. If you suspect someone’s controlling your PC without your permission, it’s best to call someone out to double-check everything.
Check out my Web site www.TexasComputerGuru.com for supplemental information and previous articles as well.
Aaron Barbee owns Texas Computer Guru, a local computer services company for on-site business and residential needs. He can be contacted at 281-628-5099. E-mail questions for Aaron to sunnews(at)baytownsun.com.
Contributor Published August 16, 2009 Question: Guru! I just got off the phone with HP in an attempt to fix a scanning problem I am having. They didn’t fix it and I’ll be calling you, but what bothers me is that they were able to remote control my computer. Please tell me how they did this and if I should worry. Hurry, I can’t sleep at night until I get an answer!
Answer: The short end of it is that they can’t really get into your computer without your permission. Usually they have you go to a special Web site that will allow them to control your computer. While this may seem scary, just remember it’s something you have to initiate on your end. They can’t come in uninvited.
While someone is in control of your computer, generally you’ll be able to see what is going on, i.e. the mouse moving, and things like that. There are other ways to control a computer, but those will blank out the screen and you won’t see anything. To my knowledge, there’s no way to control someone’s computer while they are using it without their knowledge.
There are methods to configure your networking equipment and your computer to allow someone to control your computers remotely without being invited to do so. However, all this has to be set up from the home or office, and your computer guy will have to do it. Even then, the person will need to know login names and passwords to get in.
I have seen some scary situations where a computer guy was let go for whatever reason and the electronic backdoors were left open, but the new computer guy should be able to close these and lock them keeping unwanted eyes out. I’ve done this many times and generally it’s not an issue. Whenever I take over support for a company, that’s one of the first couple things I do; ask about the old computer guy to get a feel for any potential problems, and check the network equipment and security for any potential backdoors. Any tech worth his salt will do this.
If you want to remote control your own computer that’s at home or the office, there’s a neat service that’s geared for the end user to manage this themselves. It’s called LogMeIn, and you can find the service at www.logmein.com.
At the Web site, you set up an account using your e-mail address. Then, while sitting at the computer you want to remote control, you download a little program and put it on the computer. Now it’s constantly connected to LogMeIn and can be accessed from the Internet by logging into your account. Keep in mind you still need the name and password for your desktop in addition to your LogMeIn name and password, so it’s still relatively safe.
This may be a great simple solution for some, but others may have a stroke over the mere idea of having their computer accessible remotely. Just keep in mind as I said above, it has to be set up from within and you’ll be able to see if someone’s controlling your computer. If you suspect someone’s controlling your PC without your permission, it’s best to call someone out to double-check everything.
Check out my Web site www.TexasComputerGuru.com for supplemental information and previous articles as well.
Aaron Barbee owns Texas Computer Guru, a local computer services company for on-site business and residential needs. He can be contacted at 281-628-5099. E-mail questions for Aaron to sunnews(at)baytownsun.com.