Lockout Policies (based on username attempts, not IP addresses): To lock out an account for a period of time after a number of incorrect login attempts (to create delay with recurring failed logins), you can set up Account Lockout Policies in Windows. It does NOT apply to the Administrator account (so you may want to […]
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Limit users who can login via RDP By default, all users in the “Administrators group” have RDP access rights. And, of course, all users in the “Remote Desktop Users group” have RDP access rights too. If you only want some members of the Administrators group to have RDP access, you can adjust this in Local […]
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Change RDP Listening Port
Change RDP Listening Port from default 3389 Changing the RDP listening port to a non-default port may not defeat a determined hacker but it should reduce attacks from automated bots. **Remember to create new firewall rules to allow the new port number so you don’t accidently lock yourself out. And remember that end-users will need […]
RDP Intrusion Prevention Software (Host based Intrusion Detection/Prevention) – RDP IP blockers (software for brute force protection against Windows RDP based on failed attempts from various IP addresses; some products also have geolocation blocking to block IPs assigned to certain countries.) There are several third-party software products available that will lock out IP addresses after […]
Update: See link here for Setting up the VPN Role on Server 2019- http://www.riptidehosting.com/blog/how-to-install-vpn-server-on-windows-server-2019/ Windows Server 2016 VPN Using a VPN with RDP is more secure because it provides two steps to access your network. You could require clients to connect with a VPN first before being able to RDP to the server. Unless you […]
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Two-Factor / Dual-Factor Authentication
Two-Factor / Dual-Factor Authentication There are several third-party software products available that enable two-factor authentication. One third party software option is Duo Security (www.duo.com) which provides two-factor authentication for RDP access (and more) where you have to enter a code during RDP login that you receive on your smartphone first. Duo has a free personal […]
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Disable built-in Administrator account
Disable built-in Administrator account (create alternative admin account) All Windows Servers come with the built-in Administrator account (SID 500) by default and all administrator accounts have RDP access by default (when RDP is enabled overall). Therefore the Administrator account, if port 3389 is open, is frequently the target of repeated brute-force hack attempts against this […]
Whitelist IPs: Use Windows Firewall to restrict RDP access to specific IPs only If you always connect from the same IP address, or IP address range (or the range your ISP uses), you can restrict RDP access to those IPs through the Windows Firewall (Inbound Rules for Remote Desktop which may consist of multiple rules, […]
Utilize complex usernames/passwords It’s very important to use mix of special characters, numbers, upper & lower case letters, non-words and require longer length. Don’t use standard usernames such as administrator, user, user1, test, admin, etc. Don’t use usernames that are first names only such as dan, john, tom, etc. Avoid creating passwords that include your […]
We have seen several users have this issue where they cannot login if the checkbox in user properties for “user much change password at next logon” has been enabled. Various comments and posts online indicate that changes in the windows authentication process in recent OS versions don’t allow expired users to change their password via RDP […]