USING RD GATEWAY FOR REMOTE ACCESS? SWITCH TO SPLASHTOP REMOTE ACCESS SOFTWARE

Remote Desktop Gateway (RDG, or RD Gateway) is a tool some companies use in conjunction with Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to enable remote access. As many IT professionals know, RD Gateway has various security challenges and usability/deployment issues.
Splashtop offers an alternative solution to RD Gateway that greatly simplifies remote access setup for IT and easy usability for employees/end-users. Splashtop Business Access supports your business continuity plan (BCP), disaster recovery plan (DR), work-from-home initiative (WFH), pandemic policy, telecommuting, and BYOD initiative, enabling employees to stay safe while being productive from anywhere.

RD Gateway vs Splashtop Remote Desktop

Splashtop Remote Desktop Software Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Security
Two-Factor Authentication / Multifactor Authentication (2FA/MFA)
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Included
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
MFA support is not free (ie., Duo)
Device Authentication
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Yes
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Not available
Infrastructure Updates
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Automated
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Manual & risky – On January 14, 2020, CERT Coordination Center released Vulnerability Note VU#491944: MICROSOFT WINDOWS REMOTE DESKTOP GATEWAY (RD Gateway) ALLOWS FOR UNAUTHENTICATED REMOTE CODE EXECUTION: https://kb.cert.org/vuls/id/491944/. As RD Gateway are running 24/7, organizations are less likely to keep them updated with the latest security updates and patches.
Software Updates
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Automated
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Manual & risky – Need to worry about different versions of RDP as well as compatibility and security issues
SSO
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Yes
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Yes
Session recording
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Yes
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Not available
Disable / Enable file transfer
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Yes
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Not available
User Productivity
Ease of Use
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Click & connect
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Painful to setup and use RD Gateway and RDP
Performance
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
High performance 3D CAD / CAM capable, 1080p @ 60fps, 4k @ 30fps
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Lagging connections, unable to support 3D CAD / CAM and streaming video. RDP support for MAC is weak
Tools/Utilities
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
File transfer, lock keyboard and mouse, chat, etc
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Limited built-in tools with Microsoft native RDP client
Scalability / Deployment
On-board thousands of users
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Quick & easy (both IT deployed and end user self-provision)
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Painful – lots of time to set up, install, and configure for each user
Limited by gateway hardware
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Not applicable; software based
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
RD Gateway CPU/Memory can overload and need to be upgraded
Set up RD Gateway at each office
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Not applicable; software based
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Requires setting up & managing RD Gateway for each office
Reliability
Always updated
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Yes – Splashtop managed updates
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
No – always troubleshooting issues, and requires manual updates of RDP & RD Gateway
Consistent tool across platforms
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Yes – consistent remote access experience across Windows, MAC, and Linux
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
No – RDP is only Windows friendly
Cost
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Cost effective starting at $5 per user per month (volume license discount available)
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Complex & expensive to setup and manage; manual security updates; requires company-issued device; facing constant user support challenges
Management
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Easy user/group management
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Lots of parameters to configure
Conclusion
Splashtop Remote Desktop Software
Every user and IT loves Splashtop
Traditional RD Gateway & RDP
Never heard of anyone loving their RDP / RD Gateway setup

RDP & RD Gateway Vulnerability Risks

On November 5, 2019, The FortiGuard Labs team recommends that customers immediately apply the latest patches from Microsoft for CVE-2019-0708 on any affected machines, and where possible, also disable RDP completely. BLUEKEEP RDP ATTACKS ARE STARTING: https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat-research/bluekeep-rdp-attacks-starting-patch-now.html.

On September 27, 2018, The Public Service Annoucement (PSA) warned “CYBER ACTORS INCREASINGLY EXPLOIT THE REMOTE DESKTOP PROTOCOL (RDP) TO CONDUCT MALICIOUS ACTIVITY,” outlining issues around outdated RDP versions with flawed encryption mechanism, unrestricted access to the default RDP port (TCP 3389) https://www.ic3.gov/media/2018/180927.aspx

On January 14, 2020, CERT Coordination Center released Vulnerability Note VU#491944 on MICROSOFT WINDOWS REMOTE DESKTOP GATEWAY (RD Gateway) ALLOWS FOR UNAUTHENTICATED REMOTE CODE EXECUTION: https://kb.cert.org/vuls/id/491944/. “Microsoft RD Gateway in Windows Server 2012 and later contain two vulnerabilities that can allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges…. the flaws lie in handling of fragmentation. This vulnerability is exploitable by connecting to the RD Gateway service listening on UDP/3391.”

NO MORE RD GATEWAY PROBLEMS. GET THE BETTER REMOTE DESKTOP SOLUTION

Splashtop is designed to give users seamless, secure remote access to their computers from any device, embracing BYOD. With its industry leading remote desktop technology running through a secure SSL (AES-256) tunnel, Splashtop allows users to access their PC and Mac desktops via their Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, or Chromebook devices as if they are sitting in front of their computers or servers. You get all the benefits of RDP / RD Gateway without the issues and complexities mentioned above. Also, it takes only minutes to set up.

Give Splashtop a test drive. No credit card or commitment required to get started.

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