DW Blackjack® Remote Desktop Protocol Disclaimer

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Affected Roles:  Administrator, Owner

Related Digital Watchdog VMS Apps:  DW Spectrum® IPVMS

Last Edit:  March 14, 2022

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RDP Disabled by Default for DW Blackjack

Digital Watchdog disables the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) on all DW Blackjack product models by default. This is largely due to communication issues that can arise and interfere with the daily operation of DW Spectrum IPVMS on DW Blackjack Server systems (and also customer-built servers). Such issues include packet loss, OpenGL communication issues, and other such interruptions.

Additionally, it has become increasingly apparent that capable cybercriminals have begun to take advantage of the numerous security vulnerabilities of RDP platforms. Reports of RDP brute-force attacks increased by 768% in Q1 and Q4 in 2020 and by 274% by the end of 2021. While it may only be needed for the occasional use, it can be a large price to pay for minor convenience.

**NOTE:  DW Support will not troubleshoot any issues regarding RDP. Reactivating RDP will need to be performed by the customer and will be done at the customers own risk if they should require this Windows protocol.

What is RDP?

The Windows Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a communication protocol that was developed by Microsoft to provide Windows users with the means of connecting with another computer through a graphical interface through a remote connection. Typically, the user would utilize an RDP client to connect with the other computer, which would need to be running RDP server software.

RDP on its own is not secure and would require additional security measures.

For more information, you may visit the Microsoft Documentation knowledge base: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/remote/understanding-remote-desktop-protocol