Secure remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools by requiring strong multifactor authentication for every account that can administer the platform or reach customer systems, limiting routine accounts to the permissions they need, and restricting management traffic to approved network paths. Back those controls with an inventory of authorized tools, activity logging, patching, and tested incident-response procedures. The multi-agency Guide to Securing Remote Access Software, published by CISA, NSA, MS-ISAC, and INCD on June 6, 2023, provides a baseline; verify each setting against your RMM product, identity provider, and network design.
Start by mapping every RMM access path
You cannot enforce consistent controls until you know which systems and identities can reach the management plane. Inventory each RMM tenant and console, installed agent, identity provider, technician and service account, customer environment, and network route. Include local, federated, emergency, and third-party identities.
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Mark accounts and connections that can run scripts, deploy software, perform bulk actions, or access multiple customers. Remove obsolete accounts and document which roles, endpoints, and network paths remain necessary. This map becomes the basis for MFA enforcement, least-privilege role design, and firewall rules.
Require strong MFA for every privileged path
Require MFA for administrators and for every identity that can access customer environments—not just the people who manage the RMM console. CISA’s business guidance on requiring multifactor authentication specifically calls for MFA on remote access and privileged or administrative access.
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Prefer phishing-resistant authentication where the RMM platform and identity provider support it. A password combined with a weak or bypassable factor is not equivalent to phishing-resistant authentication. A FIDO2 security key can be an option, but confirm support in the current product and identity-provider documentation before buying or enforcing one; compatibility is not universal.
Cover recovery, emergency access, and sessions
Include break-glass and emergency accounts in the design rather than treating them as exceptions to secure. Restrict their use, alert when they are activated, and review each event. Test account recovery and session expiration as well: a strong sign-in policy can be undermined by an unprotected recovery route or a session that remains valid indefinitely.
Do not assume a particular MFA method or authentication standard is supported by your RMM product. Check current vendor documentation and test sign-in, recovery, and session behavior for each account type.
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Reduce standing privilege with task-based roles
Separate routine monitoring from higher-impact administration. Give technicians and service accounts only the access required for assigned work, and use reduced-privilege or read-only modes for routine monitoring when available. CISA’s multi-agency guide explicitly recommends configuring reduced-privilege RMM tools for common uses such as read-only monitoring.
Build roles around actual duties—for example, monitoring, help-desk actions, software deployment, scripting, and platform administration—rather than giving every technician broad administrator access.
Make elevation temporary and accountable
Grant elevated permissions just in time for sensitive tasks and remove them when the task ends. Where the platform permits, require approval or step-up authentication for high-impact actions such as mass scripting or changes to security controls. Avoid shared accounts and never reuse administrator credentials across customers; separate credentials and delegated access help limit the consequences of a compromised identity.
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Review privileged assignments on a schedule and whenever staff or contractor responsibilities change. Confirm that service accounts still have a defined purpose and that their permissions have not expanded beyond it.
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Restrict where RMM can connect
Use authorized RMM tools through an approved, controlled access path—such as a managed VPN or virtual desktop where appropriate—and restrict traffic at network boundaries. Avoid exposing broad RMM access directly to the internet when a controlled path is available.
Write firewall rules to allow only required source systems, destinations, ports, and protocols, and block unauthorized RMM traffic. Account for the vendor’s cloud architecture and agent-initiated connections before applying egress rules: overly broad blocking can interrupt legitimate management, while blanket allowances can leave the management plane unnecessarily exposed. Verify required destinations and traffic against current vendor documentation.
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Segment the management plane and customer environments
Place RMM servers and administration workstations in controlled management zones. Separate customer environments from one another and from the provider’s corporate network. CISA’s #StopRansomware Guide explains that network segmentation can help contain an intrusion and limit lateral movement.
Test whether segmentation actually blocks the paths an attacker might use, including connections through dual-homed systems, shared credentials, or firewall exceptions. A diagram or policy is not proof that isolation works in practice.
Control execution and monitor high-impact activity
Maintain an authoritative list of sanctioned RMM products and their expected deployment locations. Use application controls or allowlisting to limit execution, including portable versions, and prevent unauthorized tools from running. CISA’s Red Team findings on monitoring and hardening networks are relevant to the need to identify and investigate unexpected remote-access software.
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- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your Security Key C NFC via USB-C and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC) to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
- TRUSTED PASSKEY TECHNOLOGY: Uses the latest passkey standards (FIDO2/WebAuthn & FIDO U2F) but does not support One-Time Passwords. For complex needs, check out the YubiKey 5 Series.
Log enough detail to reconstruct activity: the executable or agent, user, source IP, requested action, target, and timestamp. Set alerts for unusual sign-ins, newly observed tools, off-hours use, mass scripting, unexpected access to many endpoints, and changes to network or security controls. Choose log retention based on incident-response and regulatory needs; the cited RMM guide does not prescribe one universal retention period.
Patch RMM systems and prepare for account compromise
Patch RMM servers, agents, identity integrations, and supporting infrastructure. Prioritize internet-facing systems and known exploited issues, review vendor advisories, and track exceptions so that temporary deferrals do not become permanent by default.
Exercise the response to a compromised technician account or RMM tenant. The plan should cover revoking sessions and tokens, disabling affected accounts, isolating management servers, and coordinating customer notifications. Test that responders can take these actions without relying on the compromised access path.
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Compare products and configurations on the controls that determine whether these practices are enforceable. Vendor capabilities vary, so confirm the details in current documentation and test them in your own environment.
| Area | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Authentication | Support for phishing-resistant MFA, secure recovery, session-lifetime controls, and step-up authentication. |
| Privilege model | Role granularity, reduced-privilege or read-only modes, just-in-time elevation, approval workflows, and separation of duties. |
| Network exposure | Private access options, source restrictions, compatibility with segmentation, and required outbound destinations. |
| Auditability | Identity- and endpoint-level logs, export or integration options, alerts for bulk actions, and retention controls. |
| Multi-customer blast radius | Tenant separation, per-customer credentials, delegated administration, and ways to contain a provider-side compromise. |
| Operational fit | Agent connectivity, emergency access, technician workflow, and documented exception handling. |
Use the answers to identify gaps in your deployment, not just to compare feature lists. A control is useful only if it fits the required workflows and can be tested without weakening other customer or network boundaries.
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