Technical Tip: Understanding clipboard blocking vs File Transfer behavior in Web RDP with FortiPAM
| Description | This article describes the difference between clipboard functionality and file transfer behavior when using Web RDP sessions in FortiPAM. |
| Scope | FortiPAM. |
| Solution | Clipboard functionality. Clipboard functionality refers to the ability to copy and paste content between a remote session and a local workstation. This mechanism is commonly used to transfer text-based data, such as commands, configuration snippets, or logs.
In Web RDP sessions within FortiPAM, clipboard behavior is controlled by security settings. When clipboard access is allowed, content copied within the remote session can be pasted into the local environment. This behavior is limited to content-level data exchange and does not represent full file transfer capability:
Block clipboard feature in FortiPAM. FortiPAM provides a security control identified as 'Block Clipboard'. When this setting is enabled, clipboard redirection is restricted. As a result, it is not possible to copy or paste content between the remote session and the local workstation.
This restriction applies to all clipboard operations, including text copied from applications launched through a secret. The purpose of this feature is to prevent data exfiltration and limit unauthorized data movement from privileged sessions. Refer to the FortiPAM Administration Guide: Creating a secret.
File Transfer behavior in Web RDP. Web RDP sessions in FortiPAM do not support file transfer operations. Copying and pasting files, such as '.txt' or other file types, is not supported through the clipboard mechanism.
File transfer requires dedicated protocols and mechanisms that are separate from the clipboard functionality. In traditional Remote Desktop Protocol implementations, file transfer is typically achieved through drive redirection or mapped resources.
Supported File Transfer Launchers in FortiPAM. FortiPAM supports file transfer through specific launchers designed for this purpose. These include:
These launchers use protocols that inherently support file uploads and downloads, enabling file transfers.
Key Differences between Clipboard and File Transfer. Clipboard functionality is designed for copying and pasting content, primarily text-based data. File transfer mechanisms are designed to move complete files between systems using dedicated protocols.
Clipboard operates at the content level, while file transfer operates at the file system level. This distinction explains why copying text from a file is supported, while copying the file itself is not supported in Web RDP. |
