Securing terminal emulation and green screen access from evolving threats

The breadth and complexity of modern cyber-attacks have made the potential for an attack on IT infrastructure, including mainframes, a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if.’ Oftentimes, these attacks come down to system access—a bad actor who shouldn’t be there slips into critical systems, resulting in disaster. It’s a reality that is growing increasingly common. In fact, incidents involving the use of stolen or compromised credentials increased by 71% year over year in 2024.  

Regulators have long taken steps to protect sensitive information and guide businesses on what protections and policies they must have in place—this includes policies like GDPR or the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). And now, with the rise in compromised credentials, many of these regulations are evolving to go deeper into identity and access management (IAM), with tools like encryption or multi-factor authentication for remote access.

Terminal emulation is critical for organizations to enable their employees to access host systems through a terminal-like interface. And with green screen capabilities, organizations can maintain access to mainframe systems through a desktop interface. But as more users gain access to these critical systems, organizations open themselves up to greater risk. Let’s take a closer look at how these regulations are shifting, and what organizations that depend on terminal emulation and green screens should consider to keep their systems secure.

Adapting to a shifting regulatory reality

As IT environments evolve, so do the threats from bad actors looking to sneak in and wreak havoc. A security breach can be devastating for businesses, with the average cost in the U.S. rising by 10% in 2024, reaching its highest total ever. In turn, there has been a steady rise in regulations and compliance guidelines aimed at keeping sensitive systems and data secure. For businesses that rely on terminal emulation and green screens, these regulations are increasingly bringing their systems into focus.

For instance, recent changes in New York State’s 23 NYRCRR 500 policy tackle challenges with remote access around governance, encryption, and incident response. Particularly, these policies require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for remote access to information systems, third-party applications where nonpublic information (NPI) is accessible, as well as privileged accounts. 

That’s just one example of how cybersecurity regulations are trending for the future. With that in mind, it’s clear how important it is for organizations to extend their modernization efforts to their green screen and terminal emulation tools.

Tapping into secure host access

When it comes to identifying the right solution for secure host access, easy integration is crucial. Risks change, and so do regulations. With a solution that allows for simple integration of green screen access with existing IAM capabilities, organizations can gain a deeper level of defense, while also remaining compliant. Looking at a solution like Rocket® Secure Host Access, this integration brings existing IAM solutions to users accessing host applications, securing the terminal emulation authentication process, and offers centrally managed, high-availability host application access that is deployable across infrastructures.

The benefits of a solution like this also extend to green screens and the mainframe. For organizations that need to manage access on those green screens, these host access capabilities make it easy to handle mainframe terminal emulation sessions and monitor encryption status. Solutions, like Rocket Software’s, also allow organizations to fully use MFA tools for mainframe applications.

By folding in these capabilities, organizations can avoid non-compliance—a threat that, on top of an attack, can lead to even more costs in terms of fines or penalties. Extending enterprise authentication and authorization practices to host applications helps create an end-to-end IT security solution that encourages compliance and limits the risk of potential attacks.  

As security threats evolve and grow more complex, regulators remain determined to keep up, implementing new policies or changing existing compliance requirements, all to protect NPI and ensure businesses are prepared to stop a breach before it can do serious damage. Implementing the right solution, like Rocket Secure Host Access, is a critical step in the right direction, helping future-proof security capabilities while keeping up with the latest regulatory standards.

Learn more about how Rocket Software can help your organization defend against security threats and modernize critical IT systems.