Last Updated on Monday, 28 December 2009 11:46 Thursday, 16 July 2009 17:00

Q: Is it alright to access my work computer and files using free software like LogMeIn or GoToMyPC?

A: Two important points should be made:

First, Remote Desktop access to Windows user PC's was included starting with Windows XP Pro in 2002. Today, Windows XP and Vista (not including Home editions) already come with the ability to be remotely accessed.

Second, adding any software to your PC adds to its complexity and the potential for failure or hack attacks, especially when the software works over the Internet. So, if this is a PC in a typical work office environment, it's not worth the added risk and complexity to that PC, not to mention all the other PC's on the network. And remember that a firewall does nothing to stop attacks when you allow access to software like Remote Desktop.

So, if this is a PC in a typical work office environment with four or more computers, using a VPN host (such as Net Fu's NetDog) will give you more complete and secure access. Whether you use third party software for remote access or the software already built into Windows, the computers with the files you want to access and the computers themselves will, of course, have to be left on all the time. In a business network like this, mandating the storage of company files on a file server for easy, secured access and backup is a necessity, making third party remote access software useless.

If the computer you want to access is the only one in a Small-Office-Home-Office, configuring it to use a static (unchanging) IP address and configuring the Internet gateway to forward the correct ports to that computer would give you what you want without adding extra software and complexity. Your ISP will often help you with this for free if you cannot do it yourself, but doing it yourself takes less than fifteen minutes.

One situation where use of the third party software makes sense is in a SOHO environment where there are two to four computers that need to be accessed remotely. Configuring and forwarding unique ports for each computer (as in the situation with only one) would be time consuming and possibly confusing, while the added benefits of a full VPN would be overkill since the network probably doesn't include file or other servers. One exception is if the SOHO is a remote office in a company that uses Voice-Over-IP, since good VoIP performance depends heavily on the controls of a VPN.

Another situation where use of third party software makes sense is if the computers have Vista Home or XP Home, since neither were designed or sold with business network abilities like VPN or Remote Desktop.

Of course, the goal of the companies who make the third party remote access software is to add to their revenue, later if not immediately. So, they will try to convince you that you should use the software in many situations where the added risk doesn't make sense. They don't mention that the reason most company firewalls (such as Net Fu's NetNinja) actively block their software is because using the software violates company policy or security.

Which brings us to the last point: any software can and does have vulnerabilities. So, adding software to a work computer should be avoided wherever possible to avoid adding possibilities for failure and security compromise. Doing a simple Google search for the software you are considering adding to your PC along with the word "vulnerability" will give you an idea of how many flaws the software has currently and in the past. A quick search shows LogMeIn has two currently unfixed vulnerabilities and numerous past vulnerabilities. Similar searches for other software like PCAnywhere and GoToMyPC also reveal lists of current and past vulnerabilities.

If you need remote access to your work computers and you are unsure of what makes sense, contact us for an objective analysis.