Installing X2Go NX Server on Linux Mint 17.2
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@scottalanmiller said:
And X2Go is natively secure running over SSH so unlike RDP you don't need to worry about setting up a separate secure tunnel to protect it.
I thought RDP had encryption today, no?
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@dafyre said:
Right. But in their remote session where they have web browsers and emails open? That makes it no less vulnerable to poor decision making by the end-user than it does if they are working directly on their laptop.
Not exactly. They can't go offline and make bad decisions. They aren't able to physically interact. They aren't bringing their whole lives, only a portion of them into exposure. It's a pretty massive level of risk reduction for a normal business. For an MSP, it's an insane amount of reduction.
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@scottalanmiller said:
So you agree that there is more exposure but what how there is more exposure? I don't follow.
More exposure having a device VPNed or connected via ZT/Pertino vs just using port forwarding for something like RDP / NX
LAN and VPN put the user's local machine right in the network, exposed to everyone. Eliminate that and the massive majority of infection vectors go away. Something like 90% of the risks are gone because the local machines are not talking to the remote ones.
www.smbitjournal.com/2012/08/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-byod/
Here is where things come to light. You are talking about BYOD. I am talking about a company owned and managed laptop being connected to ZT, not an end-user's personal device.
BRB while I go read that article that I think I've read once or twice before, lol.
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@dafyre said:
@scottalanmiller said:
So you agree that there is more exposure but what how there is more exposure? I don't follow.
More exposure having a device VPNed or connected via ZT/Pertino vs just using port forwarding for something like RDP / NX
Exactly. Open ports are the most secure option for reaching in, always. There is no technology to improve on that yet. The VPN is only additional exposure in this case.
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@dafyre said:
Here is where things come to light. You are talking about BYOD. I am talking about a company owned and managed laptop being connected to ZT, not an end-user's personal device.
Nope, I'm talking about both. Treat the company owned equipment as BYOD and you get a ton more security.
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NTG Does this.... we provide 100% of employee gear from desktops to laptops even to cell phones. But we treat that equipment as BYOD and wall it off from the systems. If @Minion-Queen gets ransomware, she can't infect me or vice versa. We are always isolated.
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@scottalanmiller said:
NTG Does this.... we provide 100% of employee gear from desktops to laptops even to cell phones. But we treat that equipment as BYOD and wall it off from the systems. If @Minion-Queen gets ransomware, she can't infect me or vice versa. We are always isolated.
I thought you guys used pertino?
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@johnhooks said:
I thought you guys used pertino?
We used to, Windows 10 made that redundant and so we've phased it out for security reasons. AD doesn't need a VPN anymore, so no need to carry that kind of risk for authentication.
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@scottalanmiller said:
We used to, Windows 10 made that redundant and so we've phased it out for security reasons. AD doesn't need a VPN anymore, so no need to carry that kind of risk for authentication.
Which means now that all of the remote workers do everything via X2Go / RDP / SSH ?
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@dafyre said:
Which means now that all of the remote workers do everything via X2Go / RDP / SSH ?
No, we only do that for accessing clients' networks so that we are not cross exposing. We communicate with each other through applications like Skype, Office 365, ownCloud, etc. We work locally but store remotely.
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So what do you do when you need to access a resource inside NTG while you are bouncing all over the planet?
IE: How is it that you are able to connect to the Lab and manage the Scale systems?
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@dafyre said:
So what do you do when you need to access a resource inside NTG while you are bouncing all over the planet?
What does "inside" mean to you? Everything is SaaS, we have no legacy apps.
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@dafyre said:
IE: How is it that you are able to connect to the Lab and manage the Scale systems?
The Lab is a separate entity, we would never comingle the lab with the corporate network. So we treat it just like any customer, it's NX to reach it.
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@johnhooks just had a thought... and it got me to wondering..
What about ownCloud. Assuming you guys share files back and forth... Do you block any types of files with it? If somebody puts a trojan or worm or other nasty in ownCloud and you are all sharing folders, everybody gets that file.
(Assume AV doesn't catch the trojan )
Aren't you guys still sharing the same type of risk, despite being isolated?
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@scottalanmiller said:
@dafyre said:
IE: How is it that you are able to connect to the Lab and manage the Scale systems?
The Lab is a separate entity, we would never comingle the lab with the corporate network. So we treat it just like any customer, it's NX to reach it.
If that's the case, do you even really need anything other than a laptop that is capable of connecting to a Terminal Server to get you access to your work environment?
Why run email, et al, all on your laptop, when you can just remote into a server and do it there?
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@dafyre said:
What about ownCloud. Assuming you guys share files back and forth... Do you block any types of files with it? If somebody puts a trojan or worm or other nasty in ownCloud and you are all sharing folders, everybody gets that file.
That would only happen if someone uploaded a Trojan AND shared it to people AND people decided to download it. It's not completely foolproof but it provides many layers and steps of protection that SMB shares do not.
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@scottalanmiller You guys do not use the OwnCloud client app?
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@dafyre said:
Aren't you guys still sharing the same type of risk, despite being isolated?
Number of shared files are extremely limited. Nearly all files are shared via applications and so do not pose those kinds of risks since they are never used in a local way that could execute them.
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@dafyre said:
If that's the case, do you even really need anything other than a laptop that is capable of connecting to a Terminal Server to get you access to your work environment?
Don't even need that. Only need access to a terminal server if connecting to someone else's environment.
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@dafyre said:
Why run email, et al, all on your laptop, when you can just remote into a server and do it there?
Because a web browser locally is more efficient.
