Safe remote access — from anything to anything

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ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley One of the most used technologies in the Windows world is more than likely the most abused. Remote Desktop is one of the
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Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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ibe98765, windbg, Norio, fisher75, DLivesInTexas, abbodi86, lmacri, Alex5723

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Microsoft is renaming its Remote Desktop app on certain platforms and people are livid

Unlike Windows, macOS and iOS/iPadOS do not have built-in clients for Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Services (obviously), so Microsoft gracefully made an app for that, fittingly calling it Microsoft Remote Desktop. However, it appears that the company now has an interesting alternative to that name, and customers are not happy about it.

Mac users recently noticed that Microsoft placed a small banner inside the app to warn about the upcoming renaming. Future updates will change the app from Microsoft Remote Desktop to just Windows App. Here is what the banner says:

In an upcoming update for Remote Desktop the client will have a new name, Windows App!..

Get started with Windows App to connect to devices and apps..

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n1f85v9t8bn?hl=en-us&gl=US

https://install.appcenter.ms/orgs/rdmacios-k2vy/apps/microsoft-remote-desktop-for-mac/distribution_groups/all-users-of-microsoft-remote-desktop-for-mac

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Windows App now available on all major platforms

We’re excited to announce that, starting today, Windows App is generally available for Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and web browsers—and in public preview for Android. This unified app serves as your secure gateway to connect to Windows across Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Dev Box, and more.

With Windows App, you can enjoy a unified experience that makes it simple for people to connect to the Windows experience they know and love from any device. Enhance productivity with features such as customizable home screens, multi-monitor support, and USB redirection. Windows App also offers advanced security features, including multifactor authentication, to ensure a seamless and robust connection and enable efficient work from any location, at any time…

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However doesn’t work (yet) for on prem RDP or RDgateway.  Right now just for Azure hosted desktops on the Windows side of the world.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Who’s logging in. That’s a good one I tried to tackle last week. My first attempt was using a Powershell script to gather all login events. That results in huge files – unworkable. So I searched for a third party app. And there are numerous, offering all kinds of audits and reports – overkill if you just want to have a list of login (attempts). I had a look at Lepide, Splunk, Netwrix etc. All way too convoluted. I ended up with ManageEngine ADAudit Plus. Als pretty convoluted, buut it does list failed login attempts in a usable fashion.

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> Who’s logging in

A colleague shared in a meeting that he logs login with startup/logoff scripts, I assume in group policy, that write to a text file on the server. Sounds nice and simple for interactive logins, but wouldn’t track background authentications.

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You mention “Windows and Apple have remote tools available that work well.”. I’ve been pretty immersed in the Apple world for the past several years and have never heard anything like this mentioned. Would you please elaborate on the Apple feature for remote access? I currently use TeamViewer free to help my sister, but it’s gotten increasingly annoying. Thank you.

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I personally can recommend Supremo (Supremo | The best remote desktop software for PC and Mac (supremocontrol.com)). Got fed up with Teamviewer accusing me of using their product for “commercial purposes” when only help friends and family and they all signed an email saying that but Teamviewer thought they knew better.

Very good product, does exactly what it should, I run a Solo licence and it does everything Teamviewer does plus more.

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Hi Susan, thanks for an interesting article. Personally I use the free Ultraviewer for remote access. It never nags me to pay it.

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I’ve been using RDP for a few years now on my LAN, and it’s all I need.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Like so many others, I got tired of TeamViewer classifying my helping friends and family as “Commercial use”. After an exhaustive search I’ve been using DWService and am VERY satisfied. Check it out here:

https://www.dwservice.net/en/home.html

 

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I use Teamviewer for the family I currently support and HoptoDesk https://www.hoptodesk.com/) for friends and family that aren’t already on TeamViewer. I got tired of their “commercial use” and “upgrade to latest” nags. The support most every platform.

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At a small client with about 10 computers, RD Gateway under Essentials 2016 ,in combination with Duo on each workstation, has been great. Alas, the no-cost RD Gateway feature will be going away after the upcoming migration to Server 2022 (or 2025) Essentials.

Finding a simple, free VPN with 2FA isn’t easy. My current plan is to use Wireguard, hosted on the UniFi Dream Machine router. Rather than 2FA, it requires generating a private and public key for each user and installing those keys with Wireguard on the user’s computer. You can only connect to the VPN if you present a known public key. Pretty high maintenance, even in a small office, but hopefully secure.

Has anyone found a better alternative for an MFA-secureed VPN in a small business environment?

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No mention of VNC? I’ve used it cross-platform for over 20 years. You should be aware of its features, it’s quite useful. It is still free for personal use.

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+1 VNC variants.  Right now TightVNC is my preferred VNC solution.

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Surprised no one has mentioned AnyDesk, which has a free version and is pretty good.

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