Distant Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a tremendous expertise developed by Microsoft that permits you to entry and management one other laptop over a community. It is like having your workplace laptop with you wherever you go. For companies, this implies IT employees can handle programs remotely, and staff can work at home or anyplace, making RDP a real game-changer in immediately’s work surroundings.
However here is the catch: as a result of RDP is accessible over the web, it is also a primary goal for unethical hackers. If somebody features unauthorized entry, they might probably take over your system. That is why it is so essential to safe RDP correctly.
Why IT Groups Depend upon RDP, Regardless of the Dangers
Greater than 50 % of Kaseya’s small and medium-sized companies (SMBs) and Managed Service Suppliers (MSPs) prospects use RDP for each day operations on account of its effectivity and suppleness:
- Reduces Prices and Downtime – IT groups can resolve technical points remotely, eliminating journey bills and delays.
- Helps Enterprise Continuity – Workers and directors can securely entry firm programs from any location.
- Allows Scalable IT Administration – MSPs can oversee a number of consumer networks from a single interface.
Regardless of its advantages, RDP’s widespread use makes it a pretty assault vector, requiring fixed vigilance to safe correctly.
New Considerations: The Rise of Port 1098 Scans
Sometimes, RDP communicates over port 3389. Nonetheless, current safety studies – like one from the Shadowserver Basis in December 2024 – have highlighted a worrying pattern. Hackers are actually scanning port 1098, an alternate route that many aren’t as accustomed to, to search out weak RDP programs.
To place this into perspective, honeypot sensors have noticed as much as 740,000 completely different IP addresses scanning for RDP providers every single day, with a major variety of these scans coming from a single nation. Attackers use these scans to find programs that could be misconfigured, weak, or unprotected, after which they’ll attempt to power their approach in by guessing passwords or exploiting different weaknesses.
For companies, particularly SMBs and MSPs, this implies the next threat of great points like knowledge breaches, ransomware infections, or sudden downtime.
Protecting Up with Safety Patches
Microsoft is conscious of those dangers and commonly releases updates to repair safety vulnerabilities. In December 2024, for instance, Microsoft addressed 9 main vulnerabilities associated to Home windows Distant Desktop Companies. These fixes focused a variety of points recognized by safety specialists, making certain that recognized weaknesses could not be simply exploited.
Then, in January’s replace, two further crucial vulnerabilities (labeled CVE-2025-21309 and CVE-2025-21297) had been patched. Each of those vulnerabilities, if left unaddressed, may permit attackers to remotely execute dangerous code on a system with out the necessity for passwords.
How Kaseya’s vPenTest Proactively Helps Safe RDP & Extra
RDP uncovered to the web is extra typically a misconfiguration than an supposed configuration. Within the final 28,729 exterior community pentests we’ve got carried out, we had been capable of finding 368 cases of RDP uncovered to the general public web. On inside networks we’ve got discovered 490 cases of Bluekeep.
For organizations in search of a proactive technique to guard their exterior and inside networks, instruments like vPenTest are invaluable. vPenTest provides:
- Automated Community Pentesting: The platform will carry out each exterior and inside community pentests. IT Professionals are actually in a position to carry out the identical assaults as an attacker in opposition to the networks they handle to proactively defend them and take a look at safety controls.
- Multi-Tenant: The platform is function constructed for the multi-functional IT Workforce juggling a number of duties. IT Professionals are in a position to handle all pentest engagements for a number of corporations inside the platform.
- Detailed Reporting and Dashboard: vPenTest will generate a set of studies together with an Government Abstract and a really detailed Technical Report. The platform additionally has a dashboard for every evaluation so IT Professionals can rapidly overview findings, suggestions and affected programs.
For the primary time in tech historical past, IT Professionals are actually in a position to execute an actual community pentest in opposition to the organizations they handle at scale and on a extra frequent foundation.
How Datto EDR Helps Safe RDP
For organizations in search of an additional layer of safety, instruments like Datto Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) are invaluable. Datto EDR provides:
- Actual-Time Risk Detection: It screens RDP site visitors for uncommon habits—like sudden entry makes an attempt or unusual port utilization—and raises alerts if one thing appears off.
- Automated Responses: When suspicious exercise is detected, the system can robotically block or isolate the menace, stopping potential breaches of their tracks.
- Detailed Reporting: Complete logs and studies assist directors perceive what occurred throughout an incident, to allow them to strengthen their defenses for the longer term.
Which means with Datto EDR, companies can get pleasure from the advantages of RDP whereas maintaining their programs safer from trendy threats.
Sensible Tricks to Lock Down RDP
Listed below are some simple suggestions to assist safe your RDP setup:
- Well timed Patching: All the time set up updates as quickly as they’re out there. Distributors incessantly launch patches to handle new vulnerabilities.
- Restrict Publicity: Prohibit RDP entry to trusted personnel solely and take into account altering the default port (3389) to one thing much less predictable.
- Use Multi-Issue Authentication: Including further steps for verification (like MFA and Community Stage Authentication) makes it a lot more durable for attackers to achieve entry.
- Implement Robust Passwords: Make sure that passwords are complicated and meet a minimal size requirement to assist thwart brute-force assaults.
By taking these steps, you possibly can considerably cut back the chance of your RDP providers turning into an entry level for cyberattacks.
RDP Is not Going Away—However Safety Must Enhance
RDP is an important software that has remodeled how companies function, enabling distant work and environment friendly system administration. Nonetheless, as with every highly effective software, it comes with its personal set of dangers. With attackers now exploring new avenues like port 1098 and repeatedly discovering methods to take advantage of vulnerabilities, it is essential to remain on high of safety updates and greatest practices.
By maintaining your programs patched, limiting entry, utilizing multi-factor authentication, and using superior safety options like Datto EDR, you possibly can benefit from the flexibility of RDP with out compromising your group’s safety.
Keep secure and keep up to date!