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Setting up secure RDP connections

Window to the Server

Article from ADMIN 82/2024

By Thomas Joos

Know when to make RDP available on the Internet for remote access to Windows Server and how to configure connections securely when you do.

The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is still one of the most important methods for remote access. In this article, I show you how to enable RDP and use it in an effective and secure way. As an admin, this means you can manage your Windows servers with confidence and without having to compromise security. In combination with the Windows Admin Center, interesting options open up for managing Windows servers directly from the desktop.

Most of the settings described in this article also work on Windows Server 2016 and 2019, and on Windows 10 and 11, but I focus on Windows Server 2022 for the configuration. As things stand at present, the approach also works on Windows Server vNext/2025. RDP connections are primarily of interest for the graphical user interface (GUI) but can also be established on Server Core servers. In this case, you need to run sconfig.exe on the Server Core server to get started. In the Remote desktop menu item, you can then choose whether you want to enable or disable RDP, to which you can connect directly with the RDP client.

This approach works with the Windows Admin Center (WAC) just as it does on servers with a GUI. In this case, you can access the command prompt and PowerShell over the RDP connection, along with the same GUI tools that you use on the Server Core console. The use of RDP in Windows Admin Center is interesting, in that it lets you access your servers over HTTPS in the web browser. If you connected your servers to Azure free of charge with Azure Arc, you can secure access to your servers over the Internet with Windows Admin Center in Azure over RDP without requiring a virtual private network (VPN).

RDP files can be digitally signed and protected with certificates, which enhances security while avoiding error messages popping up because of incorrect signing. All these options suggest that Microsoft will continue to rely on RDP in the future and even expand its support.

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