A systems administrator is trying to establish an RDP session from a desktop to a server in the cloud. However, the connection appears to be refused even through the VM is responding to ICMP echo requests. Which of the following should the administrator check FIRST?
When a systems administrator is unable to establish an RDP session but receives successful ICMP echo requests, it suggests that while the network connection is functional, specific traffic types may be restricted. The most likely cause is the firewall settings, which might be blocking the RDP traffic despite allowing ICMP. Firewalls are commonly configured to control and restrict various types of traffic based on security policies. Therefore, the administrator should first check the firewall rules to ensure that the port used by RDP (TCP port 3389) is open and allowed.
Given that the server in the cloud is responding to ICMP echo requests but the RDP connection is being refused, the administrator should first check A. The firewall. The firewall settings might be configured to allow ICMP (ping) requests but could be blocking RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) traffic. Checking the firewall rules and ensuring that the appropriate ports for RDP (TCP port 3389 by default) are open and allowed through the firewall would be the logical first step in troubleshooting the connectivity issue for establishing an RDP session.
A should be correct When trying to establish a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session and the connection is refused, one of the most common reasons is that the firewall is blocking the RDP port (typically port 3389). Firewalls are designed to control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an organization's security policy. If the RDP port is not explicitly allowed, the connection will be refused. D. The services (Wrong) While it's essential to ensure that the RDP service is running on the server, the initial connection refusal is more likely due to a firewall rule blocking the RDP port rather than the service not running.
"Services" here is in the context of cloud services so for aws, "the ec2 service"
I clearly would check firewall 1st, as this in handled by the CSP's frontend. It's faster checking, and a probable deny due to security reasons. Checking service availability without RDP established and thus without visual access to the instance, is anyways harder to achieve.
the first thing the administrator should check is the firewall. Firewalls are designed to prevent unauthorized access to a network or system by blocking or allowing specific types of traffic. If the firewall is not configured to allow RDP traffic, then the connection will be refused. The administrator should verify that the firewall rules are correctly configured to allow RDP traffic to pass through. While the subnet, gateway, and services can also impact the ability to establish an RDP connection, they are less likely to be the cause of the problem in this scenario.
Firewall
The connection "refused" message typically indicates that there is an issue with the network or firewall settings.
Firewall
A firewall can refuse or blackhole the connection attempt. Blackholing is more secure, keeps the threat actor guessing. If a service is not bound to the port (TCP/3389) then the OS will usually refuse connections, A and D are both likely problems because firewalls are usually set to block all traffic except what is allowed. Obviously ICMP is allowed, is RDP, and from the tech's IP. Best practice is to limit where you can RDP from. Bad Question... but I would likely go with A and probably get it wrong.
While ICMP echo requests (ping) being successful suggests that network connectivity is established and that the VM is reachable over the network, it does not necessarily mean that all types of traffic are allowed through the firewall. Firewalls can be configured to allow or block specific types of traffic based on predefined rules. For example, ICMP echo requests (ping) may be allowed through the firewall while other types of traffic, such as RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol), may be blocked. In this scenario, even though ICMP echo requests are successful, the RDP connection is being refused, indicating that the firewall may be blocking RDP traffic.
Services here is in the context of "cloud services" like aws's EC2 or VPC services. In the cloud, you don't mess with firewall rules, you interact with the providers services. Now, say one of those services is a firewall, it would be more cloud agnostic to say "the services" since a "firewall service" isn't quite a staple in cloud networks. They could all present networking configurations like block/allow in a different manner.
Although, "first" gives my explanation a hole. It insinuates that yes, a firewall is something you'd address directly in the cloud. This is probably lower on the list since it very well could vary what equates to a "firewall" cloud-to-cloud.
The given answer is correct. All others state networking problems.
Given that the server and desktop are inside the cloud and server is responding to ICMP echo requests but the RDP connection is being refused, the administrator should first check the SERVICE, all other question mention network problem.
You can ping a machine even if the firewall is blocking the port or service.
The question states the two systems are successfully talking to each other via ICMP, so not primarily a firewall problem. If you FIRST verify the services are up and running, then check the firewall rules.
The connection is being refused. Sounds like a firewall. You can ping a machine even if you are blocked by a firewall.
RDP is layer 7- so therefore services is the answer as ICMP is going through (ICMP is on layer 3-Firewall). therefore that is clearly not it.
I would check the services on the server FIRST before even considering firewall rules. Don't overthink troubleshooting.
The key word is "refused". Something is not allowing the connection.
It seems like a firewall rule is in place blocking the connection.
The first thing the systems administrator should check when trying to establish an RDP session from a desktop to a server in the cloud and encountering a connection error is the network firewall configuration. Firewall rules can block incoming RDP traffic, even if the server is responding to ICMP echo requests. The administrator should verify that the firewall is configured to allow incoming RDP traffic on the appropriate port (typically TCP port 3389). They should also check if the firewall is blocking incoming RDP traffic for the specific IP address or network range that the desktop is using. If the firewall configuration is correct and the connection is still refused, the administrator should also check the network security groups or network access control lists in the cloud environment to ensure that they are configured to allow incoming RDP traffic. Finally, the administrator should verify that the server has Remote Desktop Services enabled and that a remote desktop connection is allowed for the specific user account.