LogMeIn has announced that it is to end its free remote access product to unify its product range,
In a blog post, LogMeIn said that it will only offer a paid-for product and offer “what we believe to be the best premium desktop, cloud and mobile access experience available on the market today”.
It said: “Starting in January, we will gradually migrate users of LogMeIn branded remote access offerings and Ignition branded remote access offerings to a single, premium access product. Please note that once you log into your account, there is a seven day window to upgrade. Subscriptions will include LogMeIn’s signature remote access to two or more computers, premium mobile apps for Android and iOS, and native Mac and Windows desktop apps.
“Additionally, all users who purchase a subscription to LogMeIn Pro will be upgraded to a premium remote access experience, with capabilities that include integration with popular cloud sync and share products like Cubby, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive and SkyDrive, the ability to manage and transfer cloud and local files, remote printing and more.”
One reason for the removal of the free product may be due to its use by cold-calling cyber attackers, who call claiming that a person has a virus on their machine and they will insist that the user takes their advice in helping “remove” the malware. This tactic has been well documented by security blogger Troy Hunt, who recently detailed how the attackers worked in a live demonstration and how they used the LogMeIn product.
In an email to IT Security Guru, Hunt said that he was very frustrated that every single time he saw this scam, LogMeIn was helping them execute it; yet when he spoke with them, they weren’t willing or able to do anything that limited malicious use.
He said: “I doubt the free service is being discontinued due to scammer abuse and I’m sure there are other economic reasons behind it. Yes, there are other alternatives and yes, to some degree, the risk will simply move elsewhere but the ubiquity with which LogMeIn was used over the likes of Ammyy (which seems to be a fallback position for scammers) suggests that it offered something advantageous to them over the other offerings.
“I’ll keep an eye on how things develop and how scammers adapt their approach in the future, hopefully other services that aid illegal activity like this will implement some basic controls to limit abuse.”
