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I've noticed that with remote support services, a technician usually sends you a download link to an executable. When you click on that link, it installs a software which automatically connects with the remote technician and allows him/her to access your computer. Basically, what's happening is that somehow the installed application has a session ID which it's using to identify and connect with the technician. How is that session ID passed onto the downloaded application?

Is a custom executable compiled/generated for each session and the executable has that session ID embedded within it's resources? any other method of achieving the same?

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  • Do you have an example of such a link? I imagine the session ID is just passed as an argument to the installer (as part of the link), and the installer passes it as an argument to the application.
    – MetaFight
    Commented Feb 11, 2014 at 18:11
  • I think he's talking about services such as LogMeIn Rescue which let a user download an executable that acts as a VNC server so a tech support agent can access their machine. The support session (not web session) info is stored right in the executable. There's no installation process - its all in a standalone exe.
    – GrandmasterB
    Commented Feb 11, 2014 at 18:29
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    @GrandmasterB is correct. youtube.com/watch?v=gzNtjzvMOT8 Watch from 1:00. Notice that executable has no ID in it's name and is also digitally signed.
    – tunafish24
    Commented Feb 11, 2014 at 18:42

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The ID can be embedded as a resource in the executable, which gets overwritten on the server before it is distributed to individual users. Or simply tacked on to the end of the executable's file. When the program runs, it either loads the resource, or 'opens' itself and reads the ID.

It might get a little more complicated if the executables are digitally signed. They may have to sign each one on the server side. But the certainly wouldn't need to re-compile.

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