UNL will begin requiring the use of the Virtual Private Network for remote desktop access using the Remote Desktop Protocol beginning Feb. 29. Computer users trying to access office computers or servers from off-campus after Feb. 29 will need to do so using the UNL VPN.
RDP access to machines within the campus network will not be affected.
VPN encrypts the UNL data transmitted through an off-campus connection and provides another layer of security to protect you and your data. Computers with open RDP ports have been subject to brute force attacks on a consistent basis over the past several months. UNL intrusion detection tools have recorded tens of thousands of exploit attempts an hour during peak attack periods.
By requiring the use of the VPN to remotely access UNL resources, those hackers who continually attack will no longer be able to openly see and attempt to log in to our computers that have RDP enabled.
A new VPN for UNL was introduced Jan. 25. The new VPN provides greater capacity and redundancy for the university.
For more information, go to http://is.unl.edu/vpn.