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Planned: Upcoming ARD/VNC Border Firewall Block on July 13, 2021

In June of 2020, ISC blocked inbound RDP traffic on the University border firewalls. On July 13th, 2021 ISC will also block inbound Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) and Virtual Network Computing (VNC) traffic on the University border firewalls. This will block inbound ARD/VNC traffic from off-campus regardless of port, though outbound ARD/VNC should remain unaffected. Campus representatives at Firewall Governance have approved this change to mitigate external attacks using these protocols, and which will significantly improve Penn's information security posture.  

In order to use these protocols from off-campus, we encourage users to use the University Client VPN. The University Client (GlobalProtect) VPN service is for the entire campus community, and provides encrypted and authenticated access to the PennNet network using PennKey and Two-Step Verification. The University Client VPN service provides access to the general campus network, creating a similar experience from a remote location as if connected to PennNet on campus. 

Users will continue to be able to ARD/VNC to their workstations after they have successfully connected to the VPN service.

*NOTE* Some areas on campus have local firewalls which may continue to block inbound ARD/VNC and thus require the use of a specific School/Center-provided VPN. If you have questions on whether you need a specific VPN client, please contact your Local Support Provider. To find your Local Support Provider, see this page: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/get-it-help

ISC has created an extensive user guide for getting started with the University Client VPN service at https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/university-vpn-getting-started-guide. ISC has also created a comprehensive troubleshooting guide for the University VPN at https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/university-client-vpn-troubleshooting-guide. We encourage our campus IT colleagues to share these guides with their ARD and VNC users and if any issues arise to contact Client Care for further assistance. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Client Care at http://supportcenter.upenn.edu, help@isc.upenn.edu, or 215-898-1000.

Further information regarding this change is available at: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/news-announcements/ardvnc-border-firewall-block-july-2021