Teradici Blog

Secure Your PCoIP Zero Client Deployment

Written by HP Teradici | November 27, 2020
In 2020, working from home has become a necessity, not a privilege. Your new home office may be filled with new distractions (like spouses, kids, pets, the refrigerator, etc.) but worrying about the security of your workplace data shouldn’t be one of them.
 
During the big push for us to work remotely since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, new serious security vulnerabilities have popped up specifically targeting remote staff and ad-hoc IT systems. But the increasing frequency of cybersecurity attacks doesn’t have to distract you from your job when you have the right remote desktop system in place to protect you and your company data.
 
Teradici PCoIP® Zero Clients remain the most secure end-user devices on the market and we remain committed to making the security of our customers’ data top priority. Here’s what you need to know about the latest security firmware upgrade for your zero clients and how you can check that your devices do not contain a security vulnerability.

What is Ripple20?

Ripple20 is a series of security vulnerabilities that have been discovered in a third-party TCP/IP stack that impacts many devices, including PCoIP Zero Clients running Firmware 20.01.1 (released January 2020) and earlier. Updating your zero clients is therefore highly recommended to ensure your organization is not at risk.
 
To help protect your workplace data from potential cybersecurity threats like Ripple20, all data sent via remote desktop technologies needs a focus on security protocols. For example, PCoIP technology, built into your zero clients, uses advanced display compression to provide end-users secure access to their on-premise or cloud-based remote desktops. This is more secure because it transfers information via pixels secured using AES 256 encryption, so no actual business information ever leaves your cloud or data center.
 
To provide you with further protection from cybersecurity breaches, ensure you are always running the latest firmware for your zero clients. Here are three ways to ensure your devices do not contain any vulnerabilities:
  1. Purchase All Access licenses to update your firmware by contacting our team or your preferred channel partner
  2. Register your zero clients if you purchased them within the past year so you can get one year of firmware updates for free

Why you should update your firmware now

Even with the most secure end-user device on the market, we can’t always predict when the next virus or security vulnerability will pop up. We are constantly monitoring the cyber securities landscape so we can update the firmware to provide you with the highest levels of protection. Keeping the firmware updated also extends the life of your zero clients and provides the best experience for end-users. PCoIP Zero Clients continues to be the most preferred endpoint and is deployed worldwide. And the latest firmware supports our customers with popular features such as 4K resolution, support of Wacom devices, and more.
 
Even if you just purchased a zero client from our channel partners, always ensure it’s running the latest firmware. All new zero client purchases are eligible for 1 year of free updates from Teradici. Subscribe to Teradici news and updates to get notified as soon as new firmware and updates are released for your devices.

How to ensure future firmware updates

If you use PCoIP Zero Clients in your organization and you are an existing Desktop Access customer, you can upgrade your device firmware to the latest firmware now.
 
Alternatively, we’re offering firmware version 17.05 for FREE until December 31, 2020. It includes an immediate patch to the security vulnerability but will be missing features from the past 3-4 years.
 
Starting January 1, 2021, we’ll be maintaining one version of the firmware going forward to ensure timely security updates for our customers. New firmware will be available only through a subscription. Contact us to purchase your subscription.
 
If you have any questions about this or other security vulnerabilities, please contact your distributor or Teradici Support.