Why is RDP considered less secure than LogMeIn or VPN?

Question

I heard from more than one IT manager that they do not allow RDP users to connect to their internal network from outside, because it is not secure. They argue that if they allow their users to do this, then someone from outside will have access to their network.

I do not understand. To use RDP, you need a username and password, and you cannot log in without it. The same goes for using Gmail, online banking and any other web service.

So what do they use instead? LogMeIn. Or a VPN connection, and then use the internal RDP. VPN also requires a username and password.

If they are afraid of brute force attacks, then someone might attack the VPN server or LogMeIn with the same thing. And if these other technologies have locks (after x the number of unsuccessful attempts), why can't you configure for RDP?

Likewise, people always say that a VPN is very secure because it uses a “tunnel”. I do not quite understand what this means, but no matter why the username and password cannot be hacked in the same way as any website or web service that uses the username and password can be.

Answer 1

With the right configuration, RDP is capable of 128-bit RC4 encryption, almost any port or set of ports, and, as it turned out, is relatively error-free, and with only some minor flaws, has ever been detected.

On the other hand, a secure tunnel created in a VPN is much more secure than a remote desktop. All your data is encrypted for secure transfer from one remote location to another. In addition, a VPN allows only remote access to shared content for increased security. If your device falls into the wrong hands, they will not be able to access and manipulate data and resources not related to them.

The bottom line is that both RDP and VPN have their advantages, however, with a high degree of security, better performance and manageability, the VPN seems to be a clear winner in the competition with VS VPN remote desktop services.