As part of the ongoing effort to ensure and improve the university’s IT security, Queen’s is restricting remote access to campus networks.

Universities are increasingly being targeted by malicious attacks involving cybercrime. Recent attacks at Carleton University and the University of Calgary demonstrate that current IT security measures must continually be heightened.    

As a result, the university is introducing steps designed to reduce the number of unauthorized access attempts to Queen’s systems. 

Beginning March 21, the changes will affect users who access resources from off campus, including:

• Remote desktop services, including Windows Remote Desktop (RDP), Apple Remote Desktop, Virtual Network Computing (VNC), and XWindows 
• Telnet
• Off-campus printing 

After March 21, in order to connect remotely, users will need to use either the Remote Desktop Gateway (RDG) or Queen's Virtual Private Network (VPN). If you do not follow these procedures, access will be denied.

“Cybersecurity is a top priority for Queen’s. We're constantly looking to enhance our security measures in order to protect your networks and your data,” says Bo Wandschneider, CIO and AVP. “Restricting remote access to one of these two methods reduces the amount of unauthorized access attempts to campus resources, which means everyone, and their data, benefits."

How to connect remotely after March 21

To ensure that your remote access remains uninterrupted, you can follow the step-by-step tutorials on the ITS website: 

• Remote Desktop Gateway
• Queen's Virtual Private Network

ITS encourages all users ensure their devices are properly configured to use either the RDG or Queen's VPN prior to March 21 in order to avoid access being interrupted. If you are having trouble configuring your device, contact the ITSC at 613-533-6666.

For an extensive list of the ports that will be closed on March 21, please visit the restricted networks page and log in with your NetID and password.