Zero-Trust Network Architecture. ZTNA. Moving the security from perimeter-based to user+resource based.
Days after announcing student loan forgiveness in the United States, 2.5 million student borrowers had their personal information exposed in a data breach and are at an increased risk of being targeted in a phishing attack.
The OWASP Top 10 is a standard awareness document that outlines the most critical web application security risks and vulnerabilities. Learn how Agilicus AnyX is designed to eliminate an attacker’s visibility into the potential OWASP Top 10 web application vulnerabilities.
Learn how organisations are using Agilicus AnyX to adopt Zero Trust. Read more about industry best practices with our white papers, and learn why the platform stands out when it comes to enhancing security with our brochures.
Leveraging Agilicus AnyX to adopt an enterprise-grade, Zero Trust Architecture to enhance security and resolve access challenges. Learn more, read the case studies, brochures, white papers, and articles.
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CASE STUDY
Located in the heart of one of largest economic regions on the west coast in North America, our customer is a municipality with a very active industrial and commercial services sector. The team at the municipality needed to adopt Vendor Access Management (VAM) and enforce Multi-Factor Authentication on the SCADA system at their water treatment facility. With Agilicus AnyX, the team was able to achieve their goals and adopt a Zero Trust security framework to enable secure access for all internal users and third party vendors.
Due to their scale of operations, our customer works with third parties to ensure critical infrastructure resources are operating optimally. However, third parties and vendors introduce inherited cyber risks for municipalities, which is especially dangerous for critical infrastructure.
Our customer set out to introduce multi-factor authentication requirements and Vendor Access Management for all city resources, including their critical infrastructure. The SCADA system supporting the water facility had several limitations that interfered with the adoption of those secure access policies.
Budget constraints prevented the IT team from changing the licensing for the SCADA software to integrate identity into the application.
A single, shared login was not acceptable and it was not possible to provide individual active directory licenses to vendors.
Multi-Factor Authentication was required for access by user groups.
Remote access to the SCADA system was a requirement for all internal and external users.
It was critical that any solution would provide the Information Technology team with precise control over permissions and privileges for such a diverse user group (internal users, vendors, third parties). A large and costly upgrade of the SCADA system was simply not possible. The Municipality needed a SaaS solution that could deliver Vendor Access Management and introduce authentication and authorisation as a layer instead of as an add on to the SCADA software integration.
The Agilicus AnyX introduces authentication and authorisation policies across user groups to enable simple access without exposing resources to the public internet. Our customer seamlessly and affordably enabled secure access for vendor support of the SCADA system at the water treatment facility with Agilicus AnyX.
Agilicus AnyX was used to quickly and easily onboard third party vendors without issuing new accounts or credentials. Fine-grained authorisation is paired with detailed audit logs, ensuring the team has complete control and visibility over when their users and vendors are accessing the SCADA system.
Multi-factor authentication can be enforced on any resource, requiring a second factor as part of the login flow to gain access to any designated resource.
Agilicus AnyX federates identity, allowing users from different organisations to use their individual user ID for access to their permissioned applications. Single Sign-On delivers a simple end user access experience while the platform works behind the scenes to unify authentication, putting administrators in full control of who can onboard into their system.
Through a single pane of glass, administrators can easily add or remove users and precisely adjust authorisation permissions, whether it’s for an internal employee or third party vendor.
In addition to the above security The Agilicus AnyX Identity Aware Web Application firewall makes resources accessible to authorised users without making them visible on the public internet, where access is only permitted on the basis of authenticated identity.
Our customer was able to implement Vendor Access Management and enforce multi-factor authentication to ensure the SCADA system could only be remotely accessed by authorised users without exposing the water treatment facility to external risks.
With Agilicus AnyX our customer adopted vendor access management with precise control of authorisations and permissions across user groups without having to issue new accounts for their vendors. Precise authorisation controls enabled permissions and privileges per user, simplifying access without giving up ground on control or visibility of who was accessing the SCADA system.
Vendor Access Management was effectively achieved without interrupting water services for citizens or burdening internal users and third party vendors.
Centralised Authorisation Management for Internal Users and Third Party Vendors
Least Privilege Access Controls and Detailed Audit Logs
Remote Access with Enhanced Cyber Resilience
Authentication via Federated Identity and Single Sign-On
Enforcement of Multi-Factor Authentication
Interested in learning more about how the Agilicus AnyX platform works to deliver Vendor Access Management (VAM) across IT and operational technology resources? Fill out the form below to get in touch with our team.
CASE STUDY
A municipality in Eastern Canada was seeking a method for securing access to the SCADA systems in their water treatment facility through the implementation of Multi-Factor Authentication. This was driven by pressures from city council to improve security, qualify for cyber insurance, and support the different levels of access needed by stakeholders supporting the facility.
The IT team specifically needed to balance security with accessibility – they needed to ensure that the teams supporting the SCADA system had remote access to the Human Machine Interface’s (HMI) thin client without sacrificing the security of the network.
The IT department had various hurdles to overcome on their path to support the water team and provide them with secure access to the SCADA application. The municipality was facing four key problems:
Their SCADA systems was exposed and reachable via the public internet
Pressures to meet cyber insurance requirements from council
A workforce that did not like to change the way they do things
The system in question was a critical system that always had to be connected to the internet and could never be logged out, updated, or shut down
After doing some research the municipality identified it is possible to keep these systems off the public internet and allow access without using a VPN. What was most interesting to them is that this could be done with zero changes to their network or the way employees access the systems.
Working with Agilicus, the municipality implemented the AnyX platform and was able to achieve secure access to their water management and SCADA systems as well as adding an extra layer of protection through enforcing multi-factor authentication.
The municipality was able to achieve the following:
Enhanced security by providing a platform that removed the exposed URL to behind a firewall while leaving their systems fully accessible, but not visible to the public internet
Achieved a quick and frictionless implementation without network changes in under an hour
Fulfilled cyber insurance requirements by ensuring each user is challenged with the second factor before access is granted and seamlessly allowed the continued use of existing USB security keys
Added enhanced protection against common security threats including blocking lateral traversal, restricting user privileges, and producing a full audit log
As a result, the municipality was able to avoid a project that would have normally taken months and met their incoming multi-factor requirements for all users in under an hour. This was all achieved while allowing employees to use their existing credentials, be seamlessly authorised, and require no additional training through Agilicus’ robust solution.
By securing remote access with multi-factor authentication and implementing Zero Trust Network Access the municipality was able to protect their critical systems while simplifying administration. All of this was achieved without the necessity of making changes to the network or installing new hardware. The region was able to achieve the multi-factor authentication they sought after without the use of drastically different technologies and personal device changes. In addition, the municipality established a secure encrypted connection to the Agilicus cloud giving them total control over who had access to the SCADA system and what each user was able to access, all while reducing the time to connect.
In the end, the municipality was able to become more secure, lower their administrative overhead, and have a single pane of glass strategy to control access.
Increased Cyber Resilience
No Network Changes or Additional Systems
Reduced time to connect
Met Cyber Insurance Requirements
Reduced Administrative Overhead
Interested in learning more about how the Agilicus AnyX platform works to enforce multi-factor authentication across IT and operational technology resources? Fill out the form below to get in touch with our team.
Devices on industrial control system networks are ill-equipped for the hardships associated with the Internet and remote access. Low-speed processors, infrequent firmware upgrades, spotty security research, Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) publishing, etc.
This leads to a natural conflict: the operator is responsible for the security, and they are not willing to sacrifice security for accessibility since their business and reputation is at stake. The vendor wants the opposite – to have the least constraints and the most simplicity across their customer base.
Is there a better way? One that meets the security requirements of the operator’s IT department as well as the access requirements of the vendors?
Yes: a Zero-Trust Industrial Network Architecture.
CASE STUDY
One of Canada’s smartest cities is using the Agilicus AnyX platform to digitally enable mobile workers with secure access to web applications through a Zero Trust framework. Our customer provisioned a series of web applications to digitise analog processes, achieve compliance requirements, and deliver secure access for its diverse workforce, but faced a number of security and deployment challenges.
Read the case study and learn how Agilicus AnyX has been used to onboard over 1000 users and deliver frictionless secure access to custom web applications without the need for a VPN, new users names, passwords, or active directory licences.
Accelerate cyber readiness and reduce risk by adopting a network access and security strategy that meets compliance criteria while bolstering cyber defences organisation wide.
The number of cyber attacks being perpetrated on a daily basis is reaching new heights and it is no surprise that cyber security has become a top of mind priority for business leaders everywhere. Each successfully executed attack on an organisation can have a devastating impact from loss of revenue or compromised company data, to public safety risks and economic ramifications. That is where a strong commercial cyber insurance policy can help protect organisations when a security or data breach happens.
In this new era of heightened cyber risk, zero day exploits, and an uprising of sophisticated and state-sponsored malicious actors, limiting the blast radius of a cyber attack has never been more important. To combat this new threat environment, cyber security insurance providers are tightening the terms of their policies and requiring organisations adopt and apply modern security policies across their entire organisation.
A key component of compliance for cyber insurance is adopting and enforcing security policies and tools organisation-wide, such as multi-factor authentication, detailed auditing, and role-based access controls. When organisations take a proactive approach to security they can not only comply with cyber insurance requirements, they benefit from a matured cyber posture as well as the opportunity for more comprehensive coverage and protection from cyber risks and liabilities.
At Agilicus we are helping our customers transform their network access and security strategy through a Zero Trust Architecture to become more agile, efficient, and secure. We deliver a dependable security solution without sacrificing the end-user experience. The result, better protection against cyber threats, simply and affordably.
The Agilicus AnyX platform equips organisations with a cloud-native, enterprise-grade Zero Trust Architecture that delivers simple, secure access for any authorised user, on any device, anywhere in the world. Zero Trust shifts network access from the perimeter to an identity-based access boundary and has become the new, internationally recommended network and security standard for securing organisation resources and data.
Cyber security insurance providers all have specific requirements for their commercial policy holders. However, there are several common requirements that every organisation could implement to help meet cyber insurance compliance requirements, become eligible, reduce risk, and significantly improve cyber resilience.
Multi-factor Authentication – A strong Multi-Factor Authentication policy helps secure your organisation against attacks that stem from compromised credentials. That makes it a necessary component of obtaining or renewing commercial cyber insurance and could be required on everything from emails and web applications to operational technology.
Data Hygiene and Encryption – As stewards of customer data, personally identifiable information, and confidential corporate information, every organisation needs a strong data security and encryption policy. Data hygiene policies are important for limiting the blast radius and severity of an attack and are often a key consideration for cyber insurance eligibility.
Privileged Access Management – Privileged Access Management, or PAM, is a common network security policy that helps organisations manage user access privileges and access rights. Access privileges, user restrictions, and user management are central to a strong cyber posture and can also affect your eligibility for cyber insurance.
Auditing – A mechanism to perform detailed security analysis and user activity auditing has become increasingly important for cyber security insurance. Detailed auditing means in the event of a breach or an incident organisations can evaluate the extent of compromise, identify affected resources, and fix problem areas for the future.
A secure alternative to perimeter-based network access, the Agilicus AnyX platform provides a clear view of who is doing what, when, and for how long with an easy to access web-based portal for managing policies, roles, and access privileges. The entire platform can be deployed in a single afternoon without the need for VPNs, gateways, appliances, or end-user clients.
With the Agilicus AnyX platform, end-to-end security, multi-factor authentication, role-based access controls, and fine-grained auditing can be applied to any user and resource. Meanwhile, end-users benefit from a friction free experience while accessing only the resources they need to do their job.
Enhanced Security Policies
Whether it’s to access remote files or a remote desktop hosting a Legacy Application or SCADA System, easily enable Multi-Factor Authentication for every user, no matter the device.
Role-Based Access Controls
Enable secure, permission-based access policies for any user, user groups or application with Role-Based Access Controls to manage user, resource privileges.
Identity Aware Web Application Firewall
Enable web application access with an Identity-Based Web Application Firewall (WAF) that enhances cybersecurity and control, offering DDOS and ransomware protection.
Detailed Auditing
Improve Risk and Security Analysis with per user, per application auditing capability. Get visibility with accurate information on who accessed what, when, and for how long.
Data Security and Encryption
With Agilicus there is no requirement for new passwords and credentials. All traffic that happens through Agilicus is end-to-end encrypted.
Centralised Authorisation Management
An automated access request workflow means no more micromanaging access and making modifications to individual applications.
Summary
Our customer is the IT organization for a municipal government and is responsible for supporting key services at the city including critical infrastructure such as the SCADA system at their water treatment facilities.
Problem
Multiple user groups needed secure online access to the SCADA systems at remote water treatment facilities. Limited by the physical locations, our customer installed a remotely accessible machine that can monitor operations, control the system, and transmit data back to the town hall. This machine can never turn off or receive security patches and updates.
Because the users who needed access to the system included external, non-employees, adding client software (VPNs) and dictating new workflows, practices and protocols was not a feasible solution. With so many different user groups needing access and the inability to implement traditional security mechanisms was creating immense cyber risk.
It was critical for our customer to solve these problems securely to maintain their cyber security insurance eligibility.
Solution
The Agilicus AnyX platform allowed our customer to deliver third party access, maintain continuous connectivity to transmit data to the town hall, and enable secure remote access to their broad user groups and third party partners.
To avoid disruption, the Agilicus AnyX platform was deployed in parallel and integrated with the municipalities native active directory and that of their partner organisations to institute single sign-on and enforce multi-factor authentication for access.
Or customer is using the AnyX platform to:
Outcome
Cyber insurance is mandatory for municipalities but difficult to obtain when it comes to operational technology and SCADA systems, a challenge our customer was able to overcome by implementing the AnyX platform.
AnyX is used to allow remote access for authorised personnel to securely manage the SCADA systems, harden cyber defences at the water treatment facility, and drastically improve workflow for the end user operators.
Onboarded all internal users and 14 third parties
Deployed in a Single Afternoon
Parallel Implementation for Seamless Migration
No Network Changes, Appliances, or New Licences
Friction-Free User Experience
Agilicus AnyX is uniquely capable of federating identity to integrate with an organisation’s native active directory and that of partner organisations to enable single sign-on. Users can easily onboard while administrators and IT teams are outfitted with fine-grained authorisation management and role-based access controls. The entire Agilicus AnyX platform can be deployed at your own pace without a VPN, client, or configuration.
AnyX helps organisations provide simple, secure, access for any user, on any device, anywhere in the world without compromising on cybersecurity. The result:
Harden your cyber posture and meet your cyber insurance compliance requirements quickly and affordably.
A Canadian town has turned to Agilicus to ensure that its critical infrastructure resources can be securely accessed by technicians, employees, and third-party partners, whether on-premise or remote.
Read the case study and learn how Agilicus helps protect operational technology against cyber threats through user, resource segmentation while delivering a seamless end-user experience.
Cybercriminals had a record breaking year with the business cost of a cyber breach reaching new heights in 2021. With clear cybersecurity goals in mind, businesses can avoid becoming just another hacking news headline.
Who are you? Identity involves knowing who you are, and then later proving it. NIST sp 800-63A enrollment is the first step, let’s talk about that!
Zero-Trust Network Architecture has 3 steps: Authenticate (Who), Authorise(What), Access(How). 3 Levels of strength of the who are defined in NIST sp 800-63B. Does the goldilocks principle apply to you? Read on!
For many businesses and organizations around the world, Remote Desktop Access has become an essential tool for both providing and maintaining services. IT personnel and other technical workers depend on the ability to remotely access certain machines to perform their job function. However, without adequate modern security systems and practices it is no longer a minor inconvenience when a cyber breach occurs on these remotely accessed devices. The damage can be immeasurable and even ruinous for people and businesses.
It is becoming increasingly important for businesses and organizations to implement modern, cybersecurity tools that mitigate threats and turn the tables on the unmanaged cyber risk that can result from Remote Desktop Access. A future-forward approach to cybersecurity practices can help protect businesses, organizations, and public and shareholder interests.
Most organizations are still using antiquated technology solutions to enable Remote Desktop Access and are increasingly unable to contend with sophisticated malicious actors. Even more problematic is the way most conventional security solutions are unable to accommodate Remote Desktop Access in a manner that ensures only authorized and authenticated access can be gained.
When Remote Desktop Access is performed via a corporate Virtual Private Network (VPN), the risk increases with inbound and outbound network gateways wide open. In this case, there’s nothing stopping a local attack or breach from becoming widespread.
Implementing secure processes and protocols for Remote Desktop Access has historically increased the burden on IT resources or required increased technical capability from the end-user or operator. Adopting a modern approach to cybersecurity can help ensure only the authorized person or persons are able to gain Remote Desktop Access while balancing convenience, control, and security.
Remote Desktop Services and Solutions have had many iterations over the years but were first introduced to the world in the late 90s with Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) as part of the Windows NT 4.0 Server, Terminal Server Edition1. One of the original intentions of RDP was to allow less powerful machines to remote into more powerful Microsoft Servers to perform tasks.
There are now many common tools for achieving remote access. Windows RDP is a widely adopted method of Remote Desktop Access that works on both Windows and Linux operating systems. Other tools that enable Remote Desktop Access include remote access via VPN, Desktop Sharing, and other remote control and systems management tools. TeamViewer, RemotePC, and LogMeIn are all examples of the various types of Remote Access Software and Tools (RATs) for commercial use that exist today. Each method of Remote Desktop Access brings with it a tradeoff between security and convenience.
Today, being able to remotely access machines brings with it immense cost savings and efficiency for many organizations, especially in a 24/7, global society. However, this constant connectivity also presents numerous risks and challenges, especially in the context of cybersecurity.
Remote Desktop Access enables someone to connect to a host machine from their client machine located anywhere in the world over the internet, gaining control of the interface and access to applications and file systems.
Whether it’s 5, 500, or 5000 miles away, connecting from a home or office device lets a user access the host machine without having to physically be there. The host machine could be a desktop, computer system, server, or virtual environment.
Remote Desktop Access is a now widely adopted concept and network functionality, especially for it’s obvious business applications (most recently being leveraged by IT organizations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic2). The network functionality is being put to work across industry verticals. Remote Desktop Access helps technicians gain access to the machines they need to perform their duties without having to physically be on-premise.
Remote Technical and Customer Support
People most commonly associate Remote Desktop Access with providing remote technical support to employees or customers. That means an IT, technical, or other support representative gains access to a customer’s host machine over the internet. From their own machine, the IT or technical support person now has control over the customer host device and can provide any necessary support or maintenance. In gaining Remote Desktop Access, the support representative also has access to the applications, file system, and data stored on the host machine.
Remote Desktop Access for Server Applications, Maintenance, and Deployment
The host device does not always have to be a PC and in fact, Remote Desktop Access is commonly used by IT technicians as a way of accessing servers or virtual desktop environments without having to physically be in the server room. These machines can be critical to corporate infrastructure, host data and applications, or they can be virtual environments used to develop, test, and deploy new applications.
Remote Desktop Access for Legacy Applications
Legacy applications are typically obsolete or outdated systems that either perform a critical function or are embedded within critical infrastructure. These applications or the systems they can run on are typically unable to stay up to date with the latest operating systems or security software. While a suitable replacement could be under development for a legacy environment, the current instance performs a specific function and may need to be securely accessed by remote technicians and employees.
Remote Access for SCADA Systems
Remote Desktop Access can be an essential tool for technicians to interact with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, be it in industrial, energy, manufacturing or the public sector. Remote access to a SCADA system by employees, vendors, partners, or third parties is often operationally important. These SCADA systems can be found in public utilities like energy or water treatment and provide a control system architecture that enables the supervision and control of machines and processes by technicians.
There are numerous cyber attack vectors and vulnerabilities that come with Remote Desktop Access and other Remote Access Software and Tools. One of the most prominent cybersecurity issues is the use of shared accounts and access credentials. For example, when Remote Desktop Access is achieved using a RAT, the attack is direct remote access and the shared credentials are compromised. If Windows RDP is used, it can lead an attacker to accessing an entire network, especially when the system is exposed to the internet.
No matter the type of tools used to achieve Remote Desktop Access, the variety in the type of cyber attacks that can be mounted presents a persistent threat.
Credential Stuffing Attacks
When a credential stuffing cyber attack is performed, the malicious actor uses a list of stolen account credentials to try and gain access to a system. The lists can contain usernames, emails, passwords, or other login credentials, which are used to gain unauthorized access to the targeted system or account. The process of mounting this type of attack is usually automated through the use of bots. This type of attack is possible as many users tend to reuse credentials across both personal and work accounts.3
A Lack of Password Protection and Authentication
Whether a malicious actor has guessed a password, intercepted it, or retrieved it from a database or through a brute-force attack, the absence of Multi-Factor Authentication could allow free reign over a system. Weak passwords could be anything from something simplistic, common across accounts, shared with other users (technicians and employees), or previously compromised in a data breach. A strong Multi-Factor Authentication policy could be the difference between getting hacked or not.
Employee Vulnerability
Employees can unintentionally present security risks, whether they fall victim to social engineering, introduce a small oversight, or they themselves become the victim of compromise, such as through a data breach.
Man-In-The-Middle Attacks
During a man-in-the-middle attack4 on a remote session, a malicious actor will try to intercept communication between systems. The intent could be anything from intercepting or harvesting credentials, to spreading malware or ransomware within an organization.
Denial of Service Attacks
Another Remote Desktop Access attack method used by malicious actors is to determine the IP address and open ports on a host machine where a brute-force attack5 is mounted and designed to reveal credentials for remote access. Often, the byproduct of mounting such an attack, intended or not, is a denial of service (DOS)6, which not only disrupts the function of the host machine, but can prevent authorized users from accessing it.
Software Based Permissions Vulnerabilities
Applications require permissions7 that are granted by the administrator of a machine, this includes RATs. From time to time there are bugs in these permissions that result in vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious actors. One of the most recent and relevant examples was a critical exploit discovered in TeamViewer’s administrator permissions8 that could have allowed malicious payloads to be persistently executed every time the service ran. Fortunately, this vulnerability in TeamViewer has since been patched.
Remote Access Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE)
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure (CVE) is a list of publicly-known security vulnerabilities, exposures, and exploits.9 This list provides a common point of reference for IT administrators to help secure systems. The list of CVEs is constantly expanding and regularly updated as new vulnerabilities and exploits are discovered. Remote Desktop Access exploits through Windows RDP, Desktop Connection, and more are included in this list. For example a number of Denial of Service CVE’s for Windows RDP were discovered in 2020.10
There is a pressing need to mitigate threats against remotely accessed machines and the risk and consequences that go along with them.
In most enterprise and business corporate network environments, Remote Desktop Access tasks are actually performed over a corporate VPN which can amplify cyber risk. Traditionally the VPN served as a way to create a secure tunnel to the host machine that needed to be accessed. However, the method of attack and risk climate has changed significantly over the years and if remote access is achieved through a VPN the client machine, host machine, or network, the risk is no longer localized and can spread across environments.
When an attacker gains access to a client machine, remote host machine, or corporate VPN, that access may be trusted by default, which means the infiltration can go undetected. The VPN by its very nature is an all-or-nothing perimeter-based security solution. It’s either access to the entire network or none of the network, which is why lateral traversal within an organization’s network is possible.
Remote Desktop Access has become an essential function for most organizations, however, with the frequency of cyber attacks only accelerating,11 exceptional security around Remote Desktop Access is not discretionary. Legacy applications and SCADA systems for example have come under frequent attack. The breach of the Florida water treatment plant in 202112 is an example of the security and public risk unsecured Remote Desktop Access presents.
IT Organizations need to provide Remote Desktop Access to specific host machines for specific users, even those outside the organization like contractors, vendors, and third parties. In order to secure these environments an authorization, authentication, access approach can help manage cyber risk more effectively through a Zero Trust Architecture.
Zero Trust Network Access and Security means switching from outdated perimeter-based (firewall and VPN) models of access to an identity-based model of access. That means authorization, authentication, and access privileges are determined based on the identity of a person (user) and the identity of a resource (device/machine).
Identity-based access means decoupling identity from a corporation or organization and binding it to the user, creating a single identity. This allows IT administrators to enforce entitlements and authorizations within the network, effectively segmenting access.
Segmentation of access is simple, more secure, and doesn’t inhibit the accessibility of employees to their work. It does however significantly mitigate the risk of cyber attacks like lateral-traversal within a network, malware, and ransomware. Adopting a modern cloud-native security platform empowers users to work from any device, anywhere in the world while ensuring the organization has granular auditing capabilities, Role Based Access Controls, Privilege Management, and the ability to restrict access with Multi-Factor Authentication.
A Zero Trust Architecture is economical, scalable, and most importantly more secure than conventional methods of network cloaking and inflexible, restrictive policy.
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) ensures IT organizations and administrators have the granular security controls needed to manage per-user authorizations. Limiting end-user, authenticated access to the specific resource, application, or work they need protects the broader corporate network and machines from being exposed to attackers, keeping compromises localized.
When Zero Trust is applied to Remote Desktop Access the risk profile and exposure of applications, systems, networks, and corporate resources is significantly reduced without inhibiting the productivity of the employee or technician who requires access to the host machine. In essence, Zero Trust allows the IT organization to require authentication and authorization from both the user and the designated device. That means a technician must prove their identity before being allowed to gain Remote Desktop Access.
Users are commonly identified via OpenID Connect and SAML, where resources are commonly identified by Client Certificates. Single Sign-On and Multi-Factor Authentication paired with these core tenants of Zero Trust (Authorization, Authentication, and Access) means that strong password policies and authentication methods are innate to the security equation.
Zero Trust ensures that Remote Desktop Access is available to any authorized employee using any designated device without risking the entire network. This method of secure access will also prohibit any unauthorized access to the host machine, by unauthorized users or devices.
You can set up 1-click remote access from client to host machine within minutes through Agilicus’ Any X platform. You can enable Remote Desktop Access via a Zero Trust Architecture without configuration on-site and with no change to the host machine or firewall. A detailed step-by-step guide on setting up Agilicus’ Zero Trust platform is available here.
This means that the cyber risk and threats can be heavily mitigated for any resource that must be accessed remotely, whether it’s a server, virtual environment, or physical desktop device hosting a legacy application, or a SCADA system.
Zero Trust Remote Desktop Access allows any user to connect from any device to the host machine they need to perform their job. The Zero Trust framework ensures access is granted on the basis of identity. Agilicus’ Any X platform features fine-grained controls and authorization for Remote Desktop Access and allows any device to remotely access machines using Windows RDP (Windows and Linux OS). Any X also features Single-Sign On, Multi-Factor Authentication, full-audit trails, and end-to-end encryption, which only enhances the security surrounding Remote Desktop Access.
While most applications are modern and accessible through web browsers, there is still a need for native desktop applications and therefore Remote Desktop Access to various machines and resources around the world, whether it is through civilian networks or over corporate VPNs. Remote Desktop Access is widely used by IT professionals and technicians across industry verticals to access servers, perform maintenance, access on premise machines, perform maintenance, and other operational tasks.
Without adequate security or a continuation of the status quo of legacy security practices, Remote Desktop Access creates huge unmanaged cyber risks for IT organizations. Those same remote resources can also be critically important to both private and public interests and in the event of a compromise, there could be significant consequences and very real public safety risks.
Some examples of remote resources that a technician or operator must access are:
• SCADA systems (controlling the power grid, local water treatment facility, etc)
• Servers or virtual machines that host or perform a business function
• Machines that run legacy applications.
• Employee or customer machines and devices to provide support or maintenance
Implementing Zero Trust and its core tenets of authorization, authentication, and access to secure Remote Desktop Access puts the IT organization back in control of its cyber risk profile.
Zero Trust works by trusting no user or device by default and enacts a strict policy that ensures only authorized individuals and devices can gain access to critical resources after authenticating their identity. This differs from a perimeter-based security policy (VPN) where anyone who has gained access to a network is trusted by default.
The security landscape is rapidly evolving, but your requirements of providing convenient and secure access while managing costs aren’t. Agilicus can help you implement an identity-based secure solution that enables Remote Desktop Access for workers while empowering the IT organization with the controls to manage cyber risk for Any Desktop by implementing Authorization, Authentication, and Access.
Secure Remote Desktop Access at your organization and protect against cyber attacks with Agilicus and empower your workforce with secure access to the resources they need to do their work.
1 Deland-Han. “Understanding Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) – Windows Server.” Microsoft Docs, Microsoft, 24 Sept. 2021, docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/remote/understanding-remote-desktop-protocol.
2 Statista. “Remote Access Technology Use Increase 2020, by Region.” Statista, Statista, 15 June 2021, www.statista.com/statistics/1226084/remote-access-technology-use-by-region.
3 “Credential Stuffing Software Attack | OWASP Foundation.” The OWASP® Foundation, 2021, owasp.org/www-community/attacks/Credential_stuffing.
4 “MitM – Glossary | CSRC.” CSRC, 2020, csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/mitm.
5 “Brute Force Password Attack – Glossary | CSRC.” CSRC, 2020, csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/brute_force_password_attack.
6 “Denial of Service (DoS) – Glossary | CSRC.” CSRC, 2020, csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/denial_of_service.
7 “Permissions – Glossary | CSRC.” CSRC, 2020, csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/permissions.
8 SafeBreach Inc. “TeamViewer Windows Client (V11 to V14) – DLL Preloading and Potential Abuses (CVE-2019-18196).” Safebreach, SafeBreach Inc. 2021, 15 Nov. 2019, www.safebreach.com/blog/2019/teamviewer-windows-client.
9 “CVE – Glossary | CSRC.” CSRC, 2020, csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/cve.
10 “Security Update Guide – Microsoft Security Response Center.” Microsoft, 2020, msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2020-16927.
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12 Goodin, Dan. “Florida Water Plant Compromise Came Hours after Worker Visited Malicious Site.” Ars Technica, Condé Nast, 18 May 2021, arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/florida-water-plant-compromise-came-hours-after-worker-visited-malicious-site.
Reconfigure a VoIP PSTN gateway remotely via Zero Trust with Multi-Factor Authentication and single-sign-on to avoid a DDoS.
e encouraged to create API keys by many SaaS tools, and, these present real authorisation challenges.
We want a web app. We have a desktop. Use zero-trust to make any desktop available to any device without a VPN.
You have an internal tool. Grafana, Prometheus, …. You get an alert, its via Slack, Chat, etc. You click. The link goes nowhere. You curse. We fix!
A criminal group takes over a nations energy via a VPN. Its time to treat the VPN as a risk, not a security solution. Zero Trust is better.
SSH to the server fleet. No Public IP? No problem. No VPN. No firewall changes. End-to-end encryption. Any user.
Keep The Share. Ditch The Ransomware. Simple Zero-Trust allows any user, any device, any share, no VPN, no ransomware. Simple single sign-on.
Zero Trust. The principle of limiting access to user resource pairs. It is part of a good defense in depth strategy. It is also a key defense to Zero Day.
A Florida water treatment plant breached. People nearly poisoned. A SCADA device exposed via Windows & Team Viewer. Not where we want to be. How did it happen, how do we prevent systematically? Read On!
Grade 10 English, the W5 (Who, What, Why, When, Where, How). A common framework to frame something. Apply it to the problem domain of Zero Trust Networking.
Empowered people make pragmatic decisions to improve productivity. This can create Shadow IT, and, Identity sprawl. Fix via Identity Aware WAF
Summary: deploy OpenWRT on a Mikrotik to achieve SpaceX Starlink + bonded DSL backup, with Zero-Trust Network Access inbound from any user, any network, any device.
Embracing Zero Trust: Assume that a breach has (or will occur), use defense in depth, fine grained authorisation and audit, everywhere, always.
Time and Encryption. Certificates have a not-before and not-after. If your time is wrong, you can be tricked. Learn how the certificate transparency helps you.
A water treatment plant was breached, looking to poison people. How did the hacker get in, and how would zero-trust secure scada?
OAuth 2.0 is deceptively simple: create client id, client secret, set a few environment variables, and watch the black magic take effect. Learn about the best current security practices.
The OAuth 2.0 protected resource. It takes the access token and uses it to grant access. Watch out for it becoming compromised.
