How to secure remote desktop connections using TLS/SSL based authentication

Requirement

When you enable remote desktop on a Windows Server for administrative purposes, security issues may arise depending on how you have configured your server

Steps in windows server end

Prerequisites

1. Ensure your terminal server is running Windows Server 2003 including SP1
2. You also need a TLS/SSL based certificate that should be installed with the following specifications:
   1. The certificate should be computer based
   2. The certificate's purpose should be server authentication
   3. The certificate¡¯s private key should be available
   4. Since it is a computer based certificate, it should be stored in the computer account certificate store on the terminal server

1-Request a certificate

We will Request a certificate in Internet Explore, About how to Request a certificate, Please access
How To Request a certificate from Certificate Authority server in Internet Explore?

2-Issue the certificate

After you requested certificate, You can login Certificate Authority server to issue the certificate. Please access
How to Issue A certificate in Certificate Authority server?

3-Install certificate in Certificate Authority server

After you issued the certificate, You can install the certificate in Certificate Authority server. Please access
How to Install A certificate in Certificate Authority server?

4-Export certificate in Certificate Authority server

After you installed certificate in step3, You will can get the certificate information in Internet Options tool. You can export it from here, Please access
How to Export A certificate in Certificate Authority server?

5-Export root certificate in Certificate Authority server

MS SQL Server and all clients have to import Root Certificate, You can export root certificate in Certificate Authority server
How to Export root certificate in Certificate Authority server?

6-Import certificate and Trusted Root Certification Authority in server

About how to import certificate, Please access
How To Import Personal Certificate With MMC?

7-Configure the Terminal Services

About how to Configure the Terminal Services, Please access
How To Configure the Terminal Services?

Steps in client computer end

Prerequisites

1. The client computer must be running Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Vista
2. For Windows 2000, XP and Windows Server 2003, the remote desktop client version 5.2 or newer should be used.
3. Only authorized clients should be able to trust the root Certification Authority (CA) that has issued the computer based certificate residing on the terminal server. This will ensure that a TLS/SSL connection can be established from a trusted client.

1- Install Trusted Root Certification Authority

Note: You should install Trusted Root Certification Authority in your client computer. About how to import Trusted Root Certification Authority, Please access
How To Install Trusted Root Certification Authority With MMC?

Connect to remote using TLS/SSL based authentication

Start the Remote Desktop client

start the Remote Desktop client and select the Security tab which is a new tab that is included with the updated remote desktop client

You can now connect and logon to the terminal server