What protocol does TeamViewer use?

Question

I was just teaching someone a little about SSH & VNC. I said I'd show him some things with TeamViewer. Then he asked me "Soo.. is this a VNC client?
And I wasn't sure.

What protocol does TeamViewer use? It's obviously similar to VNC & RDP and so on. However, I can't seem to find much information on it.

Answer 1

TeamViewer uses its own proprietary protocol. It is not documented, though its authentication layer has been partially analyzed:

• http://www.ixiacom.com/about-us/news-events/corporate-blog/magic-teamviewer
• http://www.accuvant.com/blog/teamviewer-authentication-protocol-part-1-of-3

It is similar to RDP or VNC (RFB) in purpose, but includes NAT traversal, has slightly different authentication methods (the one-time PINs), supports file transfer & chat, and adapts to network conditions dynamically.