An old problem resurfaces - Unwanted ATA

Remember when remote access was synonymous with the squaking of modem handshakes?  A common security challenge IT departments faced at the time was that individual users would hang a modem off of their own machine and use it as a remote access gateway.  The user's destination was typically just their own system.  However, it also presented a great entry point for malicious users to get on to the corporate network.

Some IT departmenents in enterprises would control this practice by wandering around the building, turning lights off and looking for rogue modem lights.  Others used war dialers to scan their range of phone numbers for modems that would anwser.  The goal was to provide proper secure remote access through a central gateway instead of a hodgepodge of individually deployed modems with inconsistent or, more likely, non-existent security.

I read an announcement from AOL that will give users the ability to essentially hang a modem off of their own machine and remotely access it using any Internet-connected PC.  I haven't looked closely at the offering but in essence the user installs software on the machine they would like to access and the device begins to advertise its availability to accept this type of connection.  While some vendors like Citrix with their GoToMyPC product go to great lengths to demonstrate that multiple layers of security are available for a corporate sanctioned deployment of the solution, the problem is the rogue deployment. 

The prospect of individual users installing this type of unauthorized remote access software in an enterprise environment will make IT departments figure out the modern version of switching off the lights and looking for modems or war dialing their range of phone numbers to prevent the spread of this rogue access.

Give me an SSL VPN like FirePass and a tool like Sharepoint anyday for convenient and controlled access!

For those that never mucked around with modems much, click here for an explanation of the ATA reference.