From Tuesday 28 March 2023, there will be a change in the way users access the university’s UK Remote Desktop from outside the UK.

Any inbound traffic to the university’s UK Remote Desktop that originates from outside of the UK will be blocked. Only inbound traffic from known UK IP addresses will be allowed to access the UK Remote Desktop this way.

I am working overseas and need to access the UK Remote Desktop – How can I do so?

You can still access the UK Remote Desktop when outside the UK but you will need to do so via the Web Virtual Private Network (VPN) moving forward. This allows users to access University-restricted web resources and other services off campus in a secure way.

The Web VPN also allows you to connect to university services without installation or configuration of a VPN client. Detailed instructions on how to access the university’s Web VPN via https://remote.nottingham.ac.uk can be found on workspace.

Please note, this will not affect China/Malaysia services. It only affects the UK Remote Desktop.

Why is this changing?

In recent years, UK universities and research institutions have seen a sharp rise in ransomware attacks that exploit the Remote Desktop remote access feature. Users have become increasingly vulnerable to malicious actors who use phishing or social engineering to gain log-in details and access to organisations’ internal systems.

By removing the ability to access the UK Remote Desktop via a web browser when outside the UK, we are mitigating the level of risk and improving our cyber-security.

Need help?

Should you have any issues accessing the Remote Desktop after the change has been implemented on Tuesday 28 March, please contact the IT Service Desk.