Reminder: Remote-Control and Proxy Software Must Not Be Used

Under the university's information security policy, it is prohibited to bypass the security controls of the campus network in order to communicate from outside the university via the campus network, or to operate campus devices (the network) from outside the university (see the extract at the end of this page). In fact, between the second half of the 2019 academic year and the first half of the 2020 academic year, it was reported that software carelessly installed by members of the university had been abused by outsiders, and that improper activity may have been carried out via the university network. We therefore ask you once again to be aware of, and to observe, the rule that remote-control software and proxy software must not be used as a general principle.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary to continue work and study from home, and requests to use software for remotely operating campus devices have increased. In view of this, the Information and Media Center is trialling an application-based scheme that temporarily relaxes the restriction for certain remote-control software that can be controlled by the university-wide firewall.

Trial period

 Until the end of the 2020 academic year
(This may be shortened or extended depending on the spread of infection and the university's activity level.)

Applicable software

1. TeamViewer
2. Chrome Remote Desktop

How to take part in the trial

1.  server installation application portalApply for the PC to be operated remotely. When you do so, select the remote-control software you will use (TeamViewer or Chrome Remote Desktop) in the “remote-control software” field of the application page.

If the PC concerned is connected to the campus network, submit a server installation application whether it is the machine doing the controlling or the machine being controlled. For example, to control a PC on the campus network from a PC outside the university, register the controlled PC on the campus network as a server. Conversely, to control a PC outside the university from a PC on the campus network, register the controlling PC on the campus network as a server. If both the controlling and the controlled PC are on the campus network, register both PCs as servers. If the PC to be registered is on the LAN side of a wireless LAN router or similar, register the WAN-side IP address and MAC address of that router as the server.

2. If you wish to continue using remote-control software after June 15, you must submit an application. Without one you will no longer be able to use it. Only faculty and staff may apply. Where remote-control software is used on a PC operated by a student in a laboratory, the application must still be made by a faculty member.

3. The applicant bears full responsibility for any security incident arising from the use of remote-control software.

4. When using remote-control software, take due care over the settings of both the software itself and the device being operated.

5. Set a sufficiently strong password of at least 10 characters to authenticate anyone connecting to a device through remote-control software.

1. With either package, avoid sharing an account or password among several users.
2. The random password TeamViewer generates by default is only 6 characters and is too weak to meet this requirement. Change the password security level in the options.
3. For Chrome Remote Desktop authentication, use the Google account that the user uses day to day.

6. As a minimum, confirm two things about the campus device to be operated: that it holds no sensitive information, and that only the minimum necessary user accounts are registered on it (for example, that accounts of graduates and former staff have been deleted or disabled).

7. The Information and Media Center provides no support whatsoever on how to use this software.

Other information

With the start of this trial, traffic for remote-control software that has not been applied for is restricted by the university-wide firewall from 10:00 on June 22, 2020. The main packages affected are as follows.

1. TeamViewer
2. Chrome Remote Desktop
3. AnyDesk

Using Windows Remote Desktop or VNC over a VPN to control a PC connected to the campus network is not covered by this restriction. No application is required in that case.

Because of a limitation of the university-wide firewall, it cannot distinguish the direction of remote-control traffic using TeamViewer or Chrome Remote Desktop, that is, whether a campus machine is controlling an off-campus device or an off-campus machine is controlling a campus device. Traffic in which a campus machine controls an off-campus device is therefore also restricted from June 22. If you use TeamViewer or Chrome Remote Desktop to control off-campus devices from within the university, please also apply as described above.

If you need to communicate via the campus network from outside the university, for example to read electronic journals, please use theVPN connection service. As before, the VPN connection service can be used without any special application.

Information security policy (extract)

5.2.3 Unauthorized use of the network and elimination of network backdoors

・Devices connected to the network must not be left accessible to an unspecified number of people.

・Connecting the campus network to a network outside the scope of the information security policy while bypassing the campus network's security controls (for example, connecting another organization's network to the campus network using a PPP server, a private hardware line, or VPN equipment and software) is prohibited as a general principle.

Center contact details

Technical enquiries about using the service	Extension 6639 (Office)　supports*
Administrative enquiries about using the service	Extension 6639 (Office)　 office*

* Append @imc.tut.ac.jp