Security News > 2020 > April > Microsoft: Do this to secure your remote desktop users
Microsoft has warned of the risks associated with allowing remote access to desktop services while working from home, publishing guidance on how IT teams can maintain secure working environments when faced with an increase in remote connections.
Although Remote Desktop Services can be a fast way to enable remote access for employees, there are a number of security challenges that need to be considered said James Ringold, enterprise security advisor for Microsoft's Cybersecurity Solutions Group.
According to Microsoft, various considerations should be made when offering remote desktop access to employees, including reviewing firewall policies to access whether any systems are directly exposed to public internet; controlling and logging remote access by employees; implementing multi-factor authentication; and assessing whether it would be possible for a hacker to move laterally through a corporate network once they gained access.
"Leveraging remote desktop services offers great flexibility by enabling remote workers to have an experience like that of working in the office, while offering some separation from threats on the endpoints," he said.
Firewall rules may be labeled as "Remote Desktop" or "Terminal Services." The default port for Remote Desktop Services is TCP 3389, but sometimes an alternate port of TCP 3388 might be used if the default configuration has been changed, it said.