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Discussion => Security => Topic started by: kvalitetsbevisst on December 14, 2012, 11:58 am

Title: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: kvalitetsbevisst on December 14, 2012, 11:58 am
In you experience, what is the best setup to remote control a PC over the internet?

It could be either a remote control method for a Linux or Windows PC, the only criteria I have is that I need a GUI (not a basic SSH shell).

If anyone has any reccomendations, please let me know :)
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: acider on December 14, 2012, 12:35 pm
Google TeamViewer.
Easy, free, reliable, many features.

Edit: I overlooked the "secure" part, dumb suggestion
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: kvalitetsbevisst on December 14, 2012, 04:44 pm
It has crossed my mind, but I'm not really sure if I feel safe using that one.

A complex password might help me along the way though .. but for some reason it just feels strange relying on TeamViewer :p

Is there any way to get a GUI remote through the SSH protocol, though? I'd be more comfortable using something that I can set up for my self and where the traffic only goes from one computer to another (over an encrypted tunnel on the internet, of course).
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: StrangeHands on December 14, 2012, 04:46 pm
Use something open source and independent of third party servers. I don't know how teamviewer works but I would use VNC viewer/server through an encrypted tunnel.
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: woahmang on December 14, 2012, 07:48 pm
Code: [Select]
ssh -X you@your-server
with the -X flag you can run apps over the network as long as you have an x server on the machine you're connecting from, which Linux desktops do.

Otherwise just use VNC with tight security settings, or using ssh tunnelling

Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: kvalitetsbevisst on December 15, 2012, 01:58 pm
Thanks, woahmang & StrangeHands. That sound more like what I had in mind.
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: Ballzinator on December 15, 2012, 08:30 pm
TeamViewer (and all proprietary software for that matter) sucks massive donkey dick and is definitely not safe. Use VNC and tunnel it through SSH. That solution is cross-platform too so it'll work on Linux, Windows, Mac and even Android.
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: Thizzed410 on December 15, 2012, 08:35 pm
I have used Radmin a few years back.  Alot of EDU's use this espcially in Asia.  Look into it.  Fast and easy.
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: Ballzinator on December 15, 2012, 08:45 pm
I have used Radmin a few years back.  Alot of EDU's use this espcially in Asia.  Look into it.  Fast and easy.
Proprietary, therefore unsafe, 100% too expensive and just generally evil.
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: sweetone on December 16, 2012, 02:53 am
Code: [Select]
ssh -X you@your-server
with the -X flag you can run apps over the network as long as you have an x server on the machine you're connecting from, which Linux desktops do.

Otherwise just use VNC with tight security settings, or using ssh tunnelling

ssh is the best way  ;)

or a pptp dial in .... lol, im joking :D

Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: woahmang on December 16, 2012, 03:42 am
Code: [Select]
ssh -X you@your-server
with the -X flag you can run apps over the network as long as you have an x server on the machine you're connecting from, which Linux desktops do.

Otherwise just use VNC with tight security settings, or using ssh tunnelling

ssh is the best way  ;)

Now I've had a think about it, I'm not actually sure ssh -X is best. VNC is basically a "remote framebuffer" and deals mostly with pixels, mouse movements and so on. X11 is an enormous API with loads of surface area (for information leakage) and although it was supposed to be used over the network most people use it locally, so the Firefox and Bitcoin devs don't use it over the network and it's unlikely to be optimized for this use-case.

So VNC is probably better because it's simpler and less well integrated into your system. If someone hacked into a server you were VNCing into the worst thing they could get access to is your clipboard, I'm not even sure how much information could be leaked to someone who'd broken into your ssh server but I suspect it's lots.

Of course ssh -X is really easy to set up and offers great protection against an eavesdropper so I guess it depends on how secure you need to be, it works well enough for me anyway.
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: SelfSovereignty on December 16, 2012, 04:13 am
Code: [Select]
ssh -X you@your-server
with the -X flag you can run apps over the network as long as you have an x server on the machine you're connecting from, which Linux desktops do.

Otherwise just use VNC with tight security settings, or using ssh tunnelling

ssh is the best way  ;)

Now I've had a think about it, I'm not actually sure ssh -X is best. VNC is basically a "remote framebuffer" and deals mostly with pixels, mouse movements and so on. X11 is an enormous API with loads of surface area (for information leakage) and although it was supposed to be used over the network most people use it locally, so the Firefox and Bitcoin devs don't use it over the network and it's unlikely to be optimized for this use-case.

So VNC is probably better because it's simpler and less well integrated into your system. If someone hacked into a server you were VNCing into the worst thing they could get access to is your clipboard, I'm not even sure how much information could be leaked to someone who'd broken into your ssh server but I suspect it's lots.

Of course ssh -X is really easy to set up and offers great protection against an eavesdropper so I guess it depends on how secure you need to be, it works well enough for me anyway.

Excellent point.  Even in the man page it hints at some of the problems:

Code: [Select]
-X      Enables X11 forwarding.  This can also be specified on a per-host basis in a configuration file.

          X11 forwarding should be enabled with caution.  Users with the ability to bypass file permissions on the remote host (for the user's X authorization database) can access the local X11 display through the forwarded connection.  An attacker may then be able to perform activities such as keystroke monitoring.

At least -X is better than -Y  :P
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: quinone on December 16, 2012, 04:16 am
Glue it to an RC car.  There you go remote control PC :D
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: Ballzinator on December 16, 2012, 01:28 pm
Glue it to an RC car.  There you go remote control PC :D
Ahahahaha +1 ;D
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: ch0sen on December 16, 2012, 04:01 pm
Quote
Is there any way to get a GUI remote through the SSH protocol, though?

Not sure if this has been said but you can use ssh to port forward any port you want.  Then run a VNC connection over
that ssh port forward connection.

http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/tunneling-vnc-connections-over-ssh-howto.html 
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: kvalitetsbevisst on December 17, 2012, 08:51 am
ah, lots of great feedback here. thanks to all of you, I will take my time and look into the best solution for me.
Title: Re: Safest / Most Secure way to remote control a PC
Post by: Joy on December 17, 2012, 05:47 pm
subscribing this.