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When using Join Me, can a file on a desktop be stolen by those viewing? I was using Join Me and another person was communicating with me to set up log in and access to My Vault, when I noticed a folder went missing from my desktop for about 15 minutes and then reappeared in a different location then where I put it. Was that person taking my personal file folder information?

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  • Welcome to security.SE Irene. I'm not sure that this question is on-topic for this site. It seems more related to desktop sharing in general and the Join Me app in specific. If it gets closed as being off-topic, perhaps a Join Me support forum would be better. Dec 11, 2015 at 23:22

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While we frequently say that people "steal" your files, we really mean that they copy them. So, if the remote desktop user wanted to just get your data, they wouldn't have copied then deleted your files, they just would have copied them.

Furthermore, join.me does not allow for simple copy-and-paste file copying. Copying files is an interactive process that requires you to initiate the process.

What I suspect happened is that you or the remote desktop user accidentally dragged your folder across the desktop. This happens frequently in Windows. When you noticed that the folder wasn't where it was, you thought it disappeared. Later you found where it was on your desktop (this place may have been covered by a window making it impossible to see) and thought it had reappeared. The same thing has happened to me many times.

So, unless the remote user knows of some still unpublished, critical vulnerability in join.me, I think you're just fine.

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Irene, here is a link to a question that is very close to yours. My answer there will be my answer here.

An audit of the code behind Join.Me could provide much deeper insight as to whether things like keystrokes and things like that are recorded. How probable it is that you'd get to do that audit or have them let someone look at their code depends on the developers that were responsible for Join.Me.

However, here is my answer: given enough time and resources/effort, any system is capable of being compromised/hacked. The likelihood of such a hack is what you have to weigh when thinking about which service or vendor to use.

There is always risk involved, it's just about how many other mitigating factors you have in place to address the risk and then you either accept it and use the product/software or you don't.

To answer your exact question (because apparently someone down voted me without addressing this which makes me mad) it COULD be possible for someone to steal a folder on your PC using join.me as there is a file sharing feature available but there is usually interaction from both parties when doing so.

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  • I will try your suggestion for an audit on the code and I will contact Join Me. This person was setting me up to have access to the Vault System which my business just started using. One very important file folder disappeared, but then reappeared in a remote place on my desktop, when I questioned it was missing. He instantly logged out of Join Me, saying no one can take your files from your desktop as they log out. Oh well. I guess I will have to wait and see.
    – Irene
    Dec 12, 2015 at 0:29
  • I don't see how you answer the OP of whether someone was trying to steal her files. Dec 12, 2015 at 4:36
  • I addressed the likelihood and potential capability of any application. There is no way for her to tell if the person on her session actually stole/copied anything short of either having auditing turned on for the particular folder in question, or her checking the modified status of the folder. Even then, if the person on her session used a local account to do so it would be very hard to prove. Also, why down vote a perfectly legit, viable response/answer that I gave to her? Dec 12, 2015 at 17:16

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