According to telemetry data from Kaspersky, the number of brute-force attacks on Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in Turkey in the second quarter of 2022 decreased by 49 percent from the previous quarter. This downward movement can have several reasons. The first thing that comes to mind is that the workforce is shifting from remote work to hybrid work, with organizations adopting secure RDP configurations for their remote workers, making it a harder target.

RDP is a popular protocol used by employees to remotely connect to corporate resources, servers, and networks. Attacks on RDP are among the most common tactics used by cybercriminals to discover vulnerabilities and attack computers on the organization’s network. By exploiting insecure or misconfigured RDP settings, cyber criminals can log in, install ransomware, or steal sensitive data without the victim’s consent.

While the detections in Turkey in the first quarter of 2022 were 6 million 957 thousand 383 in the first quarter, they were 3 million 525 thousand 333 in the second quarter. Despite this decline, RDP attacks should still be a concern for organizations that continue to embrace hybrid work. Kaspersky’s recent according to the reportThe average financial loss from cyber-attacks in the region reaches $686,000.

Kaspersky Senior Security Researcher Maher Yamoutsay: “Working remotely poses security risks and threats. Hybrid operation is no exception. The ability for employees to access the corporate network anytime, anywhere, from any device is a trend that needs to be carefully adapted. Undoubtedly, companies are working hard to ensure that employees are well connected so that they can collaborate more and access data to meet their business needs. However, strong and strict security measures must be taken to prevent any vulnerabilities. Incorrect RDP settings, weak passwords, or using public Wi-Fi can cause serious problems.”

To protect your business from RDP attacks, Kaspersky experts recommend the following:

• Only enable access to RDP through a corporate VPN
• Enable the use of Network Level Authentication (NLA) when connecting remotely.
• Enable multi-factor authentication if possible
• Use a business security solution powered by protection against network threats, such as Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business
• Organizations can get help from Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform with concrete cyber hygiene skills and practices

Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency