July 19, 2018 By David Bisson 2 min read

Cybercriminals have been selling remote desktop protocol (RDP) access to compromised machines on business networks through Dark Web marketplaces, according to July 2018 research from McAfee. Bad actors can do a lot with this access, including committing other acts of fraud and facilitating data breaches.

Given the widespread use of the protocol, organizations should implement basic security measures and password hygiene practices to protect themselves from this threat.

Dark Web Shops Offer Cheap Access to Breached Systems

While analyzing underground web marketplaces, the McAfee Advanced Threat Research team came across several “RDP shops” selling access to vulnerable systems. Some of these shops offered access to more than a dozen connections. Others, most notably the Ultimate Anonymity Service (UAS), had more than 40,000 links up for sale.

Most of these systems consisted of computers running Windows XP through Windows 10, with Windows 2008 and 2012 Server the most prevalent at 11,000 and 6,500 links, respectively. Access to those systems ranged in value from $3 to $19, with dozens of connections linked to healthcare institutions. McAfee’s most significant find was an offering that promised access to the security and building automation systems of a major international airport for just $10.

RDP Access: A Versatile Threat

Flashpoint cybercrime analyst Olivia Rowley explained that RDP access is such a hot commodity because attackers can use it to facilitate a wide variety of crimes.

“For some cybercriminals, it may be more advantageous to use a compromised RDP as a staging ground for conducting other fraud, such as making a fraudulent purchase,” Rowley said, as quoted by Dark Reading in November 2017. “Cybercriminals may also find that the compromised RDP contains sensitive files or other proprietary information, thus making the RDP a tool for conducting data breaches.”

A proprietary protocol from Microsoft, the RDP potentially leaves enterprises exposed to attackers because it allows users to control computers over a network remotely. While it’s designed to help simplify administrative tasks for businesses, attackers can abuse the protocol to remotely access computers on an internal network, including those containing sensitive information. They can then either steal that information or conduct a Samsam ransomware attack to extort payments from victims.

How Can Companies Thwart RDP Attacks?

To minimize the threat of RDP attacks, according to the McAfee report, organizations should disallow RDP connections over the open web, restrict the number of failed login attempts before an account is locked and use multifactor authentication (MFA) to make brute-force attacks more difficult.

Perhaps most importantly, security leaders should work to increase cyber awareness among employees — especially as it relates to password hygiene — through continuous training and education.

More from

Stress-testing multimodal AI applications is a new frontier for red teams

5 min read - Human communication is multimodal. We receive information in many different ways, allowing our brains to see the world from various angles and turn these different "modes" of information into a consolidated picture of reality.We’ve now reached the point where artificial intelligence (AI) can do the same, at least to a degree. Much like our brains, multimodal AI applications process different types — or modalities — of data. For example, OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4.0 can reason across text, vision and audio, granting…

Cybersecurity awareness: Apple’s cloud-based AI security system

3 min read - The rising influence of artificial intelligence (AI) has many organizations scrambling to address the new cybersecurity and data privacy concerns created by the technology, especially as AI is used in cloud systems. Apple addresses AI’s security and privacy issues head-on with its Private Cloud Compute (PCC) system.Apple seems to have solved the problem of offering cloud services without undermining user privacy or adding additional layers of insecurity. It had to do so, as Apple needed to create a cloud infrastructure…

How AI-driven SOC co-pilots will change security center operations

4 min read - Have you ever wished you had an assistant at your security operations centers (SOCs) — especially one who never calls in sick, has a bad day or takes a long lunch? Your wish may come true soon. Not surprisingly, AI-driven SOC “co-pilots” are topping the lists for cybersecurity predictions in 2025, which often describe these tools as game-changers.“AI-driven SOC co-pilots will make a significant impact in 2025, helping security teams prioritize threats and turn overwhelming amounts of data into actionable…

Topic updates

Get email updates and stay ahead of the latest threats to the security landscape, thought leadership and research.
Subscribe today