Very likely the bad guys will be looking to gain elevated access, and logging in as Administrator is a quick way to do that. When remote attackers come calling this could pose problems for an unwitting user who is logged in as Administrator. Notice the user that you are logged in as already has access (blanked out in example). But if you choose to allow connections, take some time to define who you think should be connecting using the “Select Users” dialog box: Notice this test computer has Remote Desktop (RDP) disabled, which is fine for testing purposes, as nobody should be logging in remotely on this box. That’s easy to check from your Control Panel under System > Remote Settings > Remote Desktop (under Windows 7, other operating systems vary). How do you stop all this? First thing is to know if you have RDP enabled. What can RDP intruders do? If you have administrative privileges assigned to the user they login as, they can take your computer for an unfettered spin around the block, ranging from turning it off, rebooting it, installing software (including malware), or just having a look around to find documents of files with your critical personal information in them like banking, accounting, or other information and then spirit them off across the network to their own computers for nefarious purposes. Remote access at risk: Pandemic pulls more cyber‑crooks into the brute‑forcing game Work from home: Securing RDP and remote access It’s time to disconnect RDP from the internet If it does, it’s just the beginning of your trouble. If you have a poorly configured RDP setup on your computer though, it may just let them in. At this point, your computer will prompt them for a password – usually. To the remote user, they will be presented with a login screen to your desktop, often without you noticing (especially if your computer is on and you just happen to be away from it). How could this happen? If your computer is “listening” for an RDP signal (typically over port TCP 3389), and it is connected to the Internet, it will respond when a remote user asks it if it’s alive. Sadly, while RDP can serve a variety of useful purposes ranging from remote “hands-on” support to configuring and running servers, in the wrong hands it can be a remote control weapon that enables bad actors to zombify your computer and have it do their bidding. This is the powerful protocol which has been letting you view a Windows desktop “over the wire” on the other side of the globe (or back at your home from the office) for over a decade now. Lately, we've seen an increase in reports of malware being installed via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
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