By Suzana Staying Safe With Remote Control Programs
If you are going to be using PC Remote Access Software for your business, you need to keep in mind that there are certain security considerations that you will absolutely need to take if you want to use this kind of software safely. PC remote access software lets you assume complete control over a remote system including viewing files, running applications, and transferring data between two computers. Here are certain security considerations that you must take when using this type of software on your network.
A� Make a risk assessment
Before you install Remote Desktop Software on your computer, you need to carefully assess the risks and the consequences that a potential security breach could have. Obviously, if you are in an industry where security is very important, such as a law firm, or a financial services company, you will need to think more about security than others. However, don’t downplay risks if you think that your data is of no interest to a hacker. While this may be true, there are still other things that a malicious hacker could do if he gains unauthorized access to your computers, such as using your network to send spam or attack other websites.
A� Learn about your remote desktop software’s security features and use them
Use secure passwords that can’t be easily guessed. But also, it would be a good idea to use some other features common with Remote Control Software programs. For example, you can set the program to only allow access to IP addresses located in your own country. If you won’t be connecting to your systems from abroad this could be a good feature to use, for example.
A� Review logs regularly
Some remote desktop programs, as well as nearly all network management programs have a feature that creates a log of all connection attempts to computers on your network. Review them periodically to ensure that everything is going well. If you see strange things, such as several connection attempts made from a strange IP address that you don’t recognize, then this could be a sure indicator that someone is trying to find a back door to your network or is looking for vulnerabilities in your remote access tools.
A� Keep up to date with developments in the IT world, especially those related to security
Take a few minutes each week to read up on news related to security in the information technology industry. This will help you understand things about the latest security threats and what you can do to prevent them. Also, make sure that any program which connects to the internet in some way or is used for security (anti-virus, firewall, operating system, etc.) has been updated with the latest patches and updates released by the vendor, as these could contain fixes for known security issues that could affect you.
