What’s New in Absolute Secure Access v14

Absolute Software recently announced a significant upgrade for its popular secure remote access and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution. Version 14 of Secure Access introduces many compelling new features and updates that administrators will find beneficial. In addition, crucial security vulnerabilities in the previous release have been addressed.

New Features

Absolute Secure Access v14.x includes many enhancements over previous releases. Here are a few of the highlights.

Improved Performance

Absolute Secure Access v14 provides much faster throughput on multi-gigabit networks (e.g., 2.5Gbps Wi-Fi 6E/7 or 10Gbps wired). New kernel-level optimizations reduce CPU overhead by up to 40% on high-speed links, improving performance on faster networks.

Modern Certificate Handling

SHA-1 has been deprecated since 2011, and beginning with Absolute Secure Access v14, support for SHA-1 certificates has been removed completely.

Enhanced Client Auto Reconnect

Improved client auto-reconnect logic now survives Windows standby mode for more than 12 hours (previous versions were capped at around 4 hours). This will reduce frustration when devices return from standby for extended periods.

Automatic Host Group Updates

Host groups are an excellent way to streamline policy configuration for services like Microsoft 365 and AWS. These cloud providers publish the IP addresses of their services, which are dynamic and often change over time. Absolute Secure Access v14 now supports automatic host group updates for these services. Microsoft 365 updates occur every 28 days, and AWS updates occur every 5 days by default. This interval is configurable for administrators.

Security Updates

Absolute Secure Access v14 closes four server-side CVEs as well as 14 third-party CVEs (Apache, OpenSSL, etc.) that were not patched in v13.x.

Summary

If you have deployed previous versions of Absolute Secure Access, consider upgrading to v14.x today. You’ll gain improved performance, reduced administrative overhead, critical security updates, and much more. If you’d like help with your migration or want to learn more about the new capabilities in Absolute Secure Access v14, fill out the form below, and I’ll provide more information.

Additional Information

Absolute Secure Access

Absolute Secure Access Enterprise VPN Advanced Features In Depth

Absolute Secure Access and IPv6

Absolute Secure Access and IPv6

Absolute Secure Access (formerly NetMotion Mobility) is a premium enterprise secure remote access solution with deep user and application insight supporting Windows, Mac, iOS (iPhone and iPad), and Android devices. Although Absolute Secure Access supports IPv6 for remote network connections and client IP address assignment, the latter is not enabled by default. Administrators must make additional changes to the configuration to assign IPv6 addresses to their clients so they can access resources inside the tunnel using IPv6.

DHCPv6 and SLAAC

Absolute Secure Access supports DHCPv6 and Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) methods for assigning IPv6 addresses to connected clients. Although IPv6 client addressing is not enabled by default, it is quick and easy to configure.

Note: Absolute Secure Access does not currently support static IPv6 prefix assignment.

Enable IPv6

To enable IPv6 global support for all Absolute Secure Access clients, open the Secure Access management console and navigate to Configure > Client Settings > Virtual Address > Allocation Method: IPv6. Administrators can choose to support either DHCPv6 alone or DHCPv6 and SLAAC. After making a selection, click the Apply button to save the changes.

Once configured, Absolute Secure Access clients will be assigned an IPv6 address and can access IPv6 resources over the Secure Access tunnel.

Split Tunneling

If you have configured the Absolute Secure Access policy for split tunneling, ensure you have included your internal IPv6 prefix(es) defined in the split tunneling policy.

Additional Information

NetMotion Mobility is now Absolute Secure Access

Absolute Secure Access Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

What’s New in Absolute Secure Access v13

Absolute Secure Access Features and Capabilities

Absolute Secure Access Advanced Features In Depth

Enterprise Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and VPN

What’s New in Absolute Secure Access v13

Recently I wrote about NetMotion Mobility’s acquisition by Absolute Software. Absolute Secure Access (formerly NetMotion Mobility) is an enterprise VPN and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution that includes fine-grained policy enforcement to restrict network access based on a wide range of parameters, including IP address, protocol, port, application, time of day, location, and type of network (e.g., wired, Wi-Fi, wireless, etc.), available bandwidth, battery level, and more. It also includes integrated Network Access Control (NAC), which administrators can use to inform access policy decisions based on device security and configuration posture. Now, Absolute has created its first major release since the acquisition – Absolute Secure Access v13.

Secure Web Gateway

Absolute Secure Access is already the most comprehensive and compelling enterprise VPN and ZTNA solution available today. With the release of Absolute Secure Access v13, the solution now includes cloud-based Secure Web Gateway integration, providing administrators with increased visibility and control of web traffic outside the tunnel. Not all web traffic must flow through the secure web gateway. Administrators can use policy to selectively route web traffic through the secure web gateway to meet their requirements.

Enhanced Security

The secure web gateway feature of Absolute Secure Access v13 includes the following enhanced security features.

Web Filtering

The secure web gateway allows administrators to restrict access based on web category (e.g., gambling, malware sites, personal storage, etc.). Administrators can allow or deny access based on risk level or use the destination’s categorization to take policy action to restrict access further or require additional authentication.

TLS Inspection

The secure web gateway can terminate HTTPS (SSL/TLS) sessions to perform traffic inspection and granular content categorization based on the full URL. The TLS inspection certificate is added dynamically to the local computer certificate store.

Virus Scan

The secure web gateway performs malware and virus scans on web content and files, preventing users from downloading malicious software.

Remote Browser Isolation

Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) executes web browsing sessions on a remote, isolated system to prevent potential malware threats. It enhances security by ensuring malicious content is contained and executed away from the user’s device.

Content Disarm and Reconstruction

Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR) is a security feature that eliminates dynamic content from downloaded files and guards against zero-day vulnerabilities undetected by antivirus scans.

Data Loss Prevention

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is designed to prevent sensitive or confidential data from being leaked, accessed, or shared inappropriately, ensuring data security and compliance with regulations.

Policy Enhancements

Absolute Secure Access policies now include actions that can be taken based on information from the secure web gateway. For example, if a user visits a risky category like Malware Sites, additional security features such as antivirus scan, CDR and DLP enforcement, and RBI can be enforced. In addition, administrators can now force reauthentication when users roam between networks.

Summary

Absolute Secure Access v13 significantly upgrades previous versions of Absolute Secure Access and NetMotion Mobility. The security enhancements associated with the new secure web gateway service will tremendously increase an organization’s security posture and eliminate the need for additional web security solutions. Absolute Secure Access has powerful security enforcement technologies with policy and NAC to ensure the highest level of security for today’s mobile workforce.

Learn More

Are you interested in learning more about Absolute Secure Access? Would you like a demonstration of this enterprise VPN and Zero-Trust Network Access solution? Fill out the form below, and we’ll provide more information.

NetMotion Mobility Is Now Absolute Secure Access

NetMotion Mobility is a premium enterprise mobility and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution that delivers unrivaled capabilities and performance. It includes many features unavailable in any other secure remote access solution. It is software-based, running on Windows Server, and does not require dedicated or proprietary hardware. It also features broad client support, including Windows (Professional and Enterprise), macOS, iOS (iPhone and iPad), and Android phones and tablets.

Absolute Software

Last year NetMotion Software was acquired by Absolute Software, makers of persistent, self-healing security software. Beginning with release 12.70, NetMotion Mobility has been rebranded as Absolute Secure Access. In addition, NetMotion Mobile IQ, a comprehensive visibility and reporting tool that integrates with Mobility is now Absolute Insights for Network.

What’s New in 12.70

Absolute Secure Access v12.70 has been completely rebranded, and the management user interface (UI) has a new look and feel. The UI and endpoint agent also includes new icons. In addition, Absolute Secure Access 12.70 includes the following new features.

  • Formal support for Windows Server 2022
  • Enhanced data warehouse security controls
  • Faster Network Access Control (NAC) checks
  • Improved user and device authentication certificate selection – no more user prompts!
  • Support for iOS 16

Migration Path

Migrating from NetMotion Mobility 12.5x to Absolute Secure Access 12.70 is straightforward. However. Migrating from NetMotion Mobility releases before 12.5x will prove more challenging. Specifically, the 12.5x release introduced some significant architectural changes which prevent in-place upgrades to 12.70. With NetMotion Mobility releases before 12.5x, it is recommended to implement new infrastructure running 12.70 and migrate users to the new infrastructure.

Additional Information

Absolute Enterprise VPN and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

VIDEO: Introduction to Absolute Secure Access Enterprise VPN and ZTNA

What’s New in Absolute Secure Access 12.70

Absolute Secure Access Purpose-Built Enterprise VPN

Absolute Secure Access Purpose-Built Enterprise VPN Advanced Features In Depth

NetMotion Mobility with Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Intune

NetMotion Mobility with Microsoft Endpoint Manager and IntuneNetMotion Software and Microsoft have now partnered to integrate NetMotion Mobility with Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Intune. NetMotion Mobility is a purpose-built enterprise VPN solution that has many advantages over competing remote access technologies. Using Microsoft Endpoint Manager or Intune, organizations can now quickly and easily provision NetMotion client software to their managed devices.

NetMotion Mobility

NetMotion Mobility is a popular remote access solution designed to meet the needs of enterprise organization with diverse mobility requirements. NetMotion Mobility uses a proprietary transport protocol that, unlike any other solution, is designed for mobility from inception. It includes many advanced features not found anywhere else. You can learn more about NetMotion Mobility here.

Comparing DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility

Endpoint Manager and Intune

More information about the NetMotion Software and Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Intune partnership here.

Additional Information

5 Things NetMotion Mobility Can Do that Microsoft DirectAccess Can’t
5 Things NetMotion Mobility Can Do that Microsoft Windows 10 Always On VPN Can’t
Comparing NetMotion Mobility and Microsoft DirectAccess

Evaluate NetMotion Mobility

Interested in learning more about NetMotion Mobility? Complete the form below and I’ll provide you with more information.

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Comparing DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility – Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand! Comparing DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility free live webinar Thursday, November 29 at 10:00AM AEDT. Register here!

DirectAccess on Windows Server 2016 CoreFor many years, DirectAccess has been the gold standard for enterprise remote access. Its seamless and transparent operation improves productivity for mobile workers, and since it is always on, administrators enjoy improved visibility and management for their field-based assets.

As incredible as DirectAccess is, it is not without its limitations. For example, DirectAccess works only with Windows Enterprise edition clients that are joined to the domain. Professional Edition and non-domain joined machines are not supported. It also lacks many of the security features enterprise organizations require, such as device health checks and granular network access. In addition, DirectAccess communication is complex, with many different layers of encapsulation, authentication, and encryption. High protocol overhead can lead to poor performance over high latency or low bandwidth connections.

NetMotion Mobility as an Alternative to DirectAccessNetMotion Mobility is a secure remote access solution that is an excellent alternative to DirectAccess. It provides the same seamless, transparent, always on remote connectivity that DirectAccess provides, while at the same time offering much more in terms of features and capabilities. It supports a much broader range of clients, includes native Network Access Control (NAC) and application filtering, and offers enhanced performance.

To learn more about NetMotion Mobility, join me on Thursday, November 29 at 10:00AM AEDT (UTC +11) for a free live webinar with NetMotion. I’ll provide an overview of NetMotion Mobility and how it compares with DirectAccess. I’ll also demonstrate how it can help overcome some of the inherent limitations of DirectAccess too. Register today!

DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility Webinar

Comparing DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility Webinar – October 2018

CORRECTION: This webinar will take place 14:00 BST on Thursday, 25 October.

DirectAccess on Windows Server 2016 CoreFor many years, DirectAccess has been the gold standard for enterprise remote access. Its seamless and transparent operation improves productivity for mobile workers, and since it is always on, administrators enjoy improved visibility and management for their field-based assets.

As incredible as DirectAccess is, it is not without its limitations. For example, DirectAccess works only with Windows Enterprise edition clients that are joined to the domain. Professional Edition and non-domain joined machines are not supported. It also lacks many of the security features enterprise organizations require, such as device health checks and granular network access. In addition, DirectAccess communication is complex, with many different layers of encapsulation, authentication, and encryption. High protocol overhead can lead to poor performance over high latency or low bandwidth connections.

NetMotion Mobility as an Alternative to DirectAccessNetMotion Mobility is a secure remote access solution that is an excellent alternative to DirectAccess. It provides the same seamless, transparent, always on remote connectivity that DirectAccess provides, while at the same time offering much more in terms of features and capabilities. It supports a much broader range of clients, includes native Network Access Control (NAC) and application filtering, and offers enhanced performance.

To learn more about NetMotion Mobility, join me on Thursday, 25 October at 14:00 BST for a free live webinar with NetMotion. I’ll provide an overview of NetMotion Mobility and how it compares with DirectAccess. I’ll also demonstrate how it can help overcome some of the inherent limitations of DirectAccess too. Register today!

DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility Webinar

Comparing DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility

Comparing DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility With DirectAccess approaching the end of its useful lifetime, many organizations are considering alternative solutions to provide seamless, transparent, always on remote connectivity for their field-based workers. Microsoft is positioning Windows 10 Always On VPN as the replacement for DirectAccess. While it provides many new features that were missing from DirectAccess, it has its own unique limitations and shortcomings.

NetMotion Mobility Purpose-Built Enterprise VPN

NetMotion Mobility Purpose-Built Enterprise VPN Advanced Features

NetMotion Mobility

Comparing DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility NetMotion Mobility is an excellent alternative to DirectAccess and Always On VPN, and it has many advantages over both native Microsoft offerings. NetMotion Mobility offers better security and performance. It provides deep visibility with broad client support, and the solution is easier to support than DirectAccess.

Comparing DirectAccess and NetMotion Mobility

If you’d like to learn more about how NetMotion Mobility compares with DirectAccess, you will find detailed comparison information in my Comparing NetMotion Mobility and DirectAccess article series on the NetMotion blog.

Comparing NetMotion Mobility and DirectAccess – Security
Comparing NetMotion Mobility and DirectAccess – Performance
Comparing NetMotion Mobility and DirectAccess – Visibility
Comparing NetMotion Mobility and DirectAccess – Supported Clients
Comparing NetMotion Mobility and DirectAccess – Support

NetMotion Mobility in Action

Watch the following videos to see NetMotion Mobility in action.

NetMotion Mobility Demonstration Video
NetMotion Mobility and Skype for Business Demonstration Video

DirectAccess Alternative

NetMotion Mobility is a premium remote access solution with many of the same characteristics as DirectAccess; seamless, transparent, and always on. It is feature rich with numerous compelling benefits over native Microsoft remote access technologies. Organizations seeking a solution to replace Microsoft DirectAccess would benefit greatly from NetMotion Mobility.

Learn More

If you’d like to learn more about NetMotion Mobility, or if you’d like to evaluate their solution, fill out the form below and I’ll respond with more information.

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NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force Tunneling

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force TunnelingDirectAccess employs a split tunneling network model by default. In this configuration, only network traffic destined for the internal network (as defined by the administrator) is tunneled over the DirectAccess connection. All other network traffic is routed directly over the Internet.

Force Tunneling Use Cases

For a variety of reasons, administrators may want to configure DirectAccess to use force tunneling, requiring all client traffic be routed over the DirectAccess connection, including public Internet traffic. Commonly this is done to ensure that all traffic is logged and, importantly, screened and filtered to enforce acceptable use policy and to prevent malware infection and potential loss of data.

DirectAccess and Force Tunneling

Enabling force tunneling for DirectAccess is not trivial, as it requires an on-premises proxy server to ensure proper functionality when accessing resources on the public Internet. You can find detailed guidance for configuring DirectAccess to use force tunneling here.

NetMotion Mobility and Force Tunneling

With NetMotion Mobility, force tunneling is enabled by default. So, if split tunneling is desired, it must be explicitly configured. Follow the steps below to create a split tunneling policy.

Create a Rule Set

  1. Open the NetMotion Mobility management console and click Policy > Policy Management.
  2. Click New.
  3. Enter a descriptive name for the new rule set.
  4. Click Ok.

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force Tunneling

Create a Rule

  1. Click New.
  2. Enter a descriptive name for the new rule.
  3. Click Ok.

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force Tunneling

Define an Action

  1. Click on the Actions tab.
  2. In the Addresses section check the box next to Allow network traffic for address(es)/port(s).NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force Tunneling
  3. In the Base section select Pass through all network traffic.NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force Tunneling

Define the Internal Network

  1. In the Policy rule definition section click the address(es)/port(s) link.NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force Tunneling
  2. Click Add.
  3. In the Remote Address column select Network Address.
  4. Enter the network prefix and prefix length that corresponds to the internal network.
  5. Click Ok.
  6. Repeat the steps above to add any additional internal subnets, as required.
  7. Click Ok.
  8. Click Save.
  9. Click Save.NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force Tunneling

Assign the Policy

  1. Click on the Subscribers tab.
  2. Choose a group to assign the policy to. This can be users, groups, devices, etc.NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force Tunneling
  3. Click Subscribe.
  4. Select the Split Tunneling policy.
  5. Click Ok.NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Split vs. Force Tunneling

Validation Testing

With split tunneling enabled the NetMotion Mobility client will be able to securely access internal network resources over the Mobility connection, but all other traffic will be routed over the public Internet. To confirm this, first very that internal resources are reachable. Next, open your favor Internet search engine and enter “IP”. The IP address you see should be the IP address of the client, not the on-premises gateway.

Summary

I’ve never been a big fan of force tunneling with DirectAccess. Not only is it difficult to implement (and requires additional infrastructure!) the user experience is generally poor. There are usability issues especially with captive portals for Wi-Fi, and performance often suffers. In addition, enabling force tunneling precludes the use of strong user authentication with one-time passwords.

With NetMotion Mobility, force tunneling is on by default, so no configuration changes are required. The user experience is improved as NetMotion Mobility intelligently recognizes captive portals. Performance is much better too. In addition, NetMotion Mobility is more flexible, allowing for the use of OTP authentication with force tunneling. Also, with NetMotion Mobility force tunneling is not a global setting. You can selectively apply force tunneling to users and/or groups as necessary.

Additional Information

NetMotion Mobility as an Alternative for Microsoft DirectAccess

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection

Enabling Secure Remote Administration for the NetMotion Mobility Console

NetMotion Mobility Device Tunnel Configuration

 

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network DetectionDirectAccess clients use the Network Location Server (NLS) for trusted network detection. If the NLS can be reached, the client will assume it is on the internal network and the DirectAccess connection will not be made. If the NLS cannot be reached, the client will assume it is outside the network and it will then attempt to establish a connection to the DirectAccess server.

Critical Infrastructure

DirectAccess NLS availability and reachability is crucial to ensuring uninterrupted operation for DirectAccess clients on the internal network. If the NLS is offline or unreachable for any reason, DirectAccess clients on the internal network will be unable to access internal resources by name until the NLS is once again available. To ensure reliable NLS operation and to avoid potential disruption, the NLS should be highly available and geographically redundant. Close attention must be paid to NLS SSL certificate expiration dates too.

NetMotion Mobility

NetMotion Mobility does not require additional infrastructure for inside/outside detection as DirectAccess does. Instead, Mobility clients determine their network location by the IP address of the Mobility server they are connected to.

Unlike DirectAccess, NetMotion Mobility clients will connect to the Mobility server whenever it is reachable, even if they are on the internal network. There are some advantages to this, but if this behavior isn’t desired, a policy can be created that effectively replicates DirectAccess client behavior by bypassing the Mobility client when the client is on the internal network.

Configuring Trusted Network Detection

Follow the steps below to create a policy to enable trusted network detection for NetMotion Mobility clients.

Create a Rule Set

  1. From the drop-down menu in the NetMotion Mobility management console click Policy and then Policy Management.
  2. Click New.
  3. Enter a descriptive name for the new rule set.
  4. Click Ok.

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection

Create a Rule

  1. Click New.
  2. Enter a descriptive name for the new rule.
  3. Click Ok.

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection

Define a Condition

  1. Click on the Conditions tab.
  2. In the Addresses section check the box next to When the Mobility server address is address.
    NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection
  3. In the Policy rule definition section click the equal to address(es) (v9.0) link.
    NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection
  4. Click Add.
  5. Select Mobility server address.
  6. Select the IP address assigned to the Mobility server’s internal network interface.
  7. Click Ok.
  8. Click Ok.

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection

Define an Action

  1. Click on the Actions tab.
  2. In the Passthrough Mode section check the box next to Enable/disable passthrough mode.
    NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection
  3. Click Save.
  4. Click Save.

Assign the Policy

  1. Click on the Subscribers tab.
  2. Choose a group to assign the policy to. This can be users, groups, devices, etc.
    NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection
  3. Click Subscribe.
  4. Select the Trusted Network Detection policy.
  5. Click Ok.

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection

Validation Testing

The NetMotion Mobility client will connect normally when the client is outside of the network. However, if the Mobility client detects that it is connected to the internal interface of the Mobility server, all network traffic will bypass the Mobility client.

NetMotion Mobility for DirectAccess Administrators – Trusted Network Detection

Summary

Trusted network detection can be used to control client behavior based on their network location. Many administrators prefer that connections only be made when clients are outside the network. DirectAccess clients use the NLS to determine network location and will not establish a DirectAccess connection if the NLS is reachable.

NetMotion Mobility trusted network detection relies on detecting the IP address of the Mobility server to which the connection was made. This is more elegant and effective than the DirectAccess NLS, and more reliable too.

Additional Information

Enabling Secure Remote Administrator for the NetMotion Mobility Management Console

NetMotion Mobility Device Tunnel Configuration

Deploying NetMotion Mobility in Azure