Secure Remote Access using Windows Terminal Services 2003

Microsoft's Terminal Server has improved considerably since its release in 1998 in functionality, performance and security. With the increasing demand for flexible, simple and fast remote access for the endless variety of users including vendor support staff, home users, mobile workers and remote offices, Terminal Server is now becoming an attractive and inexpensive solution particularly for smaller, less complex environments. The primary focus of this paper will be to present options for securing Windows Terminal Services 2003 remote access in application mode (now referred to as Terminal Server mode). This will include an overview of the new features of Windows Terminal Services 2003 and how they affect security, as well as implementation considerations, current threats and recommended security configurations. The configuration sections will focus primarily on using the Group Policy tools. Configured correctly, Terminal Services 2003 can provide a secure, feature rich, remote access solution for many corporate environments.