How to Secure Remote Desktop for System Administrators?

Remote desktop allows you to perform administrative tasks and supervise systems established at multiple locations. Therefore, it seems relevant to secure your remote desktop sessions, which operate over an encrypted channel. They may become vulnerable to threats, including a man-in-the-middle attack that allows an unauthorized entity to supervise the session.

Remote desktop is more secured than remote administration tools, such as VNC. The latter does not encrypt the complete session, allowing administrator access to another system, which could develop further risks. With that said, you can secure remote desktop access through the following practices.

Use strong passwords

You should use strong passwords on accounts with access to remote desktop before enabling it. This way, you ensure smooth remote server monitoring. It prevents identity theft and financial fraud in most cases. You can avail of robust server support services by hiring a reliable operator that knows inside out about remote desktop.

Two-factor authentication

Servers are prone to risks and may become weak in case of a cyberattack. How do you handle such situations? You want remote desktop sessions to operate efficiently, provided that your IT infrastructure is tough enough to combat such threats. Consider a two-factor authentication practice to ensure safety to desktops beyond keeping unique usernames and passwords. It provides an extra layer of security and adds to the productivity of the system.

Software update

Remote desktop bears an advantage over third-party administrative tools. The components get updated automatically with the latest security features. You must ensure that you are operating on the latest versions of server and client software and have enabled the automatic Microsoft update feature. It helps you in certain scenarios where you’re using remote desktop clients on different platforms. It is a crucial step as the older versions may have security flaws, making the Windows server monitoring complex.

Use firewalls

Restrict user access to the remote desktop by using firewalls, wherever required. You can use a secured VPN connection to obtain the IP address as it may prevent any unauthorized access to a private network. It effectively controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic and you can implement stern measures in case of a breach. Thus, remote server monitoring becomes easy and effective.

Network Level Authentication

Before establishing a connection, it is wise to enable Network Level Authentication (NLA), as it provides an extra layer of authentication to servers. NLA should be enabled for Windows server monitoring on Windows Server 2012 R2/2016/2019 and Windows 10 by default. You must pay attention to allowing connection without NLA, where the remote desktop clients are used on other platforms that do not support the authentication. However, you should check with a trusted remote server support team to understand better.

OffsiteNOC offers reliable remote desktop monitoring services at a competitive price. Their network integration experts help build a safe and secure IT infrastructure in an organization. If you’re planning to use remote desktop facility, please connect with the team for a productive conversation. 11234555555556789