Remote desktop security checklist: 10 controls every IT team should enable
Remote access is one of the most targeted entry points into a business. These ten controls close the most common gaps without slowing technicians down.
Remote access tools give technicians a direct line into your organisation's computers. That makes them incredibly useful, and a favourite target for attackers. The good news: most remote access incidents trace back to a handful of missing controls. Here are the ten we recommend every IT team turns on.
1. Require multi-factor authentication for everyone
Stolen passwords are still the most common way in. Enforce MFA for every technician, not just admins, and prefer passkeys or authenticator apps over SMS.
2. Approve new devices before they can sign in
Device approval means a valid password on an unknown laptop isn't enough. The user or an admin must confirm the new device first.
3. Use single sign-on where you can
SSO puts remote access behind the same identity controls as the rest of your stack, and removing a leaver's access becomes a single action.
4. Apply least privilege with roles
Not every technician needs access to every device. Group devices by site, department or customer, and give each role only the groups and actions it needs.
5. Restrict file transfer and clipboard where it matters
For finance or healthcare machines, consider view-only sessions or disabling file transfer to reduce the risk of data leaving the device.
6. Keep users informed
Attended sessions should require the user to accept, and an on-screen banner should make it obvious when someone is connected.
7. Log and review every session
Audit logs should capture who connected, to which device, when, for how long and what they transferred. Stream them to your SIEM and review unusual activity.
8. Record sensitive sessions
Session recording helps with compliance, dispute resolution and training. Enable it for privileged systems such as servers and domain controllers.
9. Keep agents up to date
Use signed, auto-updating agents so security fixes reach every endpoint quickly, and alert on devices that fall behind.
10. Have an offboarding checklist
When a technician or contractor leaves, revoke their account, rotate shared device passwords and review their recent sessions.
Putting it into practice
In InayaDesk, every one of these controls lives under Admin › Security, and most take less than a minute to enable. Start with MFA and device approval today; they block the majority of real-world attacks on remote access.