Remote desktop protocol (RDP) is a wonderful technique developed by Microsoft that allows you to reach and control any other computer on the network. This is like the computer of your office being with you, wherever you go. For businesses, this means that IT employees can remotely manage the system, and employees can work at home or anywhere, making RDP a true game-changer in today’s work environment.
But here is a catch: Because RDP is accessible on the Internet, it is also a major goal for immoral hackers. If one achieves unauthorized access, they can potentially handle your system. Therefore it is so important to secure RDP properly.
Why IT teams depend on RDP despite risks
More than 50 percent of Kaseya’s small and medium -sized businesses (SMB) and managed service providers (MSPS) customers use RDP for daily operation due to their efficiency and flexibility:
- Reduces cost and downtime – IT teams can solve technical issues remotely, eliminate travel expenses and delays.
- Business supports continuity – Employees and administrators can safely access the company system from any place.
- Skelable enables IT management – MSPS can oversee several client networks from a single interface.
Despite its benefits, the comprehensive use of RDP makes it an attractive attack vector, which requires constant vigilance to secure properly.
New concerns: Port 1098 scan rise
Typically, RDP ports more than 3389. However, the recent security report – like one from The Shadowcover Foundation in December 2024 – has highlighted a worrying trend. Hackers are now scanned on port 1098, an alternative route that is not familiar with many, to find unsafe RDP systems.
To keep it in perspective, Honeypot sensor has scanned 740,000 different IP addresses for RDP services every day, with a significant number of these scans coming from the same country. The attackers use these scans to detect systems that may be incorrect, weak, or unsafe, and then they can try to force their own way by estimating passwords or exploiting other weaknesses.
For businesses, especially SMB and MSP, it means a high risk of serious issues such as data violations, ransomware infections, or unexpected downtime.
Safety patch
Microsoft is aware of these risks and regularly releases updates to fix security weaknesses. For example, in December 2024, Microsoft addressed nine major weaknesses related to Windows Remote Desktop services. These reforms targeted a series of issues identified by security experts, ensuring that the known weaknesses could not be easily exploited.
Then, in January update, two additional important weaknesses (CVE-2025-21309 and CVE-2025-21297 label) were patched. Both these weaknesses, if left untreated, may allow the attackers to execute the harmful code on the system without a password requirement.
How Kaseya’s VPENTEST helps to make RDP continuously more secure
RDP in contact with the Internet is more often a misunderstanding than an intended configuration. We have performed at the last 28,729 external network paint, we were able to find 368 examples of RDP in contact with public internet. We have found 490 examples of bluecap on internal networks.
For organizations seeking an active method for protecting your exterior and internal network, equipment such as vpentests are invaluable. vpentest offer:
- Automatic Network Painting: The platform will demonstrate both external and internal networks paint. IT professionals are now able to carry out the same attacks as attacks that attacked against the network they manage to protect them and test security controls.
- Multi tenants: The stage is designed to awaken many tasks for the multi-functional IT team. IT professional for many companies within the professional platform is capable of managing all the painst engagement.
- Detailed Reporting and Dashboard: VPENTES will generate a set of reports including an executive summary and a very detailed technical report. The platform also has a dashboard for each evaluation so that IT professionals can quickly review the conclusions, recommendations and affected systems.
For the first time in technical history, IT professionals are now able to execute a real network paintist against organizations that they manage on a scale and more frequent basis.
How Datto EDR helps secure RDP
For organizations seeking an additional layer of protection, equipment such as the Datto andPoint Detection and Response (EDR) are invaluable. Datto edr offer:
- Find out the danger of real -time: It monitors RDP traffic for abnormal behavior – such as unexpected access attempt or strange port use – and if something is closed, raises the alert.
- Automatic Reactions: When suspected activity is detected, the system can automatically block or separate the danger by preventing potential violations in its track.
- Detailed Reporting: Comprehensive logs and reports help administrators understand what happened during an event, so they can strengthen their defense for the future.
This means that with Datto EDR, businesses can enjoy the benefits of RDP by keeping their system safe from modern threats.
Practical suggestions to close RDP
Here are some direct tips to help secure your RDP setup:
- Timely patching: Always install updates as soon as they are available. Sellers often release patch to address new weaknesses.
- Limit Risk: Ban the RDP access only for reliable personnel and consider replacing the default port (3389) to some less approximate.
- Use multi-factor authentication: Adding additional stages for verification (such as MFA and network level authentication) makes it very difficult to achieve access to the attackers.
- Apply strong password: Ensure that passwords are complex and meet the requirement of minimal length to help fail the brut-form attacks.
By taking these steps, you can reduce the risk of your RDP services that become an entry point for cyber attack.
RDP is not going away – but needs to improve security
RDP is an essential tool that has changed businesses by enabling distance work and efficient system management. However, with any powerful tool, it comes with its set of risks. With the attackers now looking for new avenues like Port 1098 and are looking for ways to take advantage of continuous weaknesses, it is important to stay on top of security updates and best practices.
You can enjoy the flexibility of RDP without compromising your organization’s safety, by patching your system, limiting access to access, multi-factor authentication, and employing advanced security solutions such as thato EDR.
Stay safe and update!
