The Hidden Risks of Remote Desktop Software
in Remote Working
Although remote desktop software is not designed for working from home, many companies still use it to enable employees to access their office workstations from home, often from personal computers. Its ease of use has, at times, downplayed the significant security risks associated with this type of tool. Originally intended for remote maintenance, remote desktop software is fundamentally incompatible with secure teleworking.
Remote control software: solutions designed for remote maintenance
When used correctly, remote desktop software are not inherently a security threat. The real issue lies in how some organizations misuse it. Designed primarily for remote maintenance, these tools allow IT support teams and helpdesks to take control of employees’ workstations to troubleshoot technical issues, without posing additional security risks to the organization’s systems.
However, their intended purpose is frequently hijacked to provide remote access for teleworking, exposing organizations to significant vulnerabilities. With the widespread adoption of remote work, many remote desktop software providers have repositioned their solutions as teleworking tools, despite the security gaps associated with this technology.
This situation highlights a shared responsibility:
- Software vendors, who often understate the risks, and
- IT departments, who may overlook cybersecurity best practices.
Contributing to putting the entire IT systems at risk. To secure teleworking environments, organizations must adopt safer alternatives, such as Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions.
Remote control software: What are the drawbacks?
The primary reason why remote control software should not be used for teleworking is the security risk it represents to IT system:
- Cloud-based communication exposes all data flows, creating vulnerability to potential man-in-the-middle attacks.
- Many accesses rely on simple authentication, which is inadequate for secure remote access.
- Once a remote user takes control of the workstation, they can move within the system, increasing the risk to the entire network.
- There is no traceability or control over these accesses by IT departments, making it difficult to track the source of any potential security breach.
- Remote desktop tools have high licensing and operational costs, as they require installing agents on workstations. If not regularly updated, these agents may represent unpatched security vulnerabilities.
ZTNA for A Secure Remote Working
To secure remote access, organizations should avoid using remote desktop software for teleworking and for 3rd parties such external service providers. Instead, they should go for ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access), which ensures secure access, whether the workstations and networks are controlled or not.
cyberelements, based on a Zero Trust architetcure, is a remote access solution leveraging ZTNA technology to secure all types of access, regardless of the context: whether it is working from home, mobility, on-call services, or outsourcing.
Unlike most remote desktop software, cyberelements offers multi-factor authentication (MFA) and devices compliance check, which are critical unmanaged devices. Additionally, it provides organizations a complete control over users’ access to internal resources and applications.Â
Furthermore, cyberelements ensures data confidentiality. Unlike remote desktop software, which sends data through the vendor’s servers, a ZTNA solution like cyberelements ensures that only the organization has access to the data. The ZTNA technology enables organizations to limit rights and permissions based on user identity, allowing organizations to implement the principle of least privilege effectively.