Microsoft Desktop Connection Manager

 admin



Microsoft Desktop Connection Manager

Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) RDCMan is a simple connection manager that gives you a single source that you can call upon to complete your remote desktop tasks throughout the day. It is quite an old application now, so the styling and general layout is a little bare when compared to commercial products. DameWare Mini Remote Control – FREE TRIAL. DameWare Mini Remote Control is a remote control.

Desktop-->

Virtualization and remote desktops are an important part of your infrastructure and work. And, we recommend that you use Windows built-in Remote Desktop Connection (%windir%system32mstsc.exe) or universal Remote Desktop client instead of Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan).

Original product version: Windows 10 - all editions
Original KB number: 4512838

More information

Enable remote desktop

We're increasing our investments in virtualization and remote desktops, such as Windows Virtual Desktop and RDS on Microsoft Azure.

RDCMan is a client that is widely used to manage multiple remote desktop connections because it's a convenient option. However, RDCMan has not kept pace with the level of advanced technology that we're pursuing.

Instead, we have two great supported client options: Remote Desktop Connection and Universal Client for Windows 10. These clients offer increased security, and they are a key part of our engineering roadmap moving forward. In the future, you can expect even more capabilities, such as the ability to better manage multiple connections.

In March, Microsoft announced that it was discontinuing Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) due to a major security flaw (CVE-2020-0765). Here is the bulletin:

An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) application when it improperly parses XML input containing a reference to an external entity. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could read arbitrary files via an XML external entity (XXE) declaration. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker could create an RDG file containing specially crafted XML content and convince an authenticated user to open the file.

Here’s what ZDNet said about Microsoft’s response to the problem: “Instead of fixing the bug, Microsoft decided to retire RDCMan, seeing no reason to revive an app that received its last update almost six years ago.”

Limited Functionality

Even before this major vulnerability was discovered, many users found RDCMan frustrating and limited. For example, it lacked many of the time-saving integrations available in other (and better) alternatives. Plus, RDCMan only worked in Windows deployments. And overall, RDCMan — even by Microsoft’s admission — was always a very basic tool and never designed to handle sophisticated functions like utilizing 2FA, managing privileged accounts, securing sensitive data, generating strong passwords, creating audit logs, and so on.

Step 1: Stop Using RDCMan

If you’re a current RDCMan user, then the advice is clear: stop using it. Yes, you and your team may have been using it for years. But now that this bug has been made public, you can be certain that bad actors are mobilizing and will be specifically targeting this vulnerability. Considering the costs of a data breach (and how furious your boss would be), it’s not worth the risk.

Step 2: Give Remote Desktop Manager a Try!

If you’re looking for a free alternative to RDCMan, then Remote Desktop Manager (RDM) Free could be exactly what you need. RDM Free is designed for individual IT pros, while RDM Enterprise is designed for IT teams (co-located and remote) who need to share remote connections and privileged passwords. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two solutions. Also, be assured that RDM Free is not nagware, donationware, or trialware. It’s a legitimate, standalone solution for IT pros that is constantly being updated.

Interested in trying RDM, but you don’t want to lose your data? Good news! You can import your sessions from an existing application or an existing file format. You can follow this online help right here.

RDM Enterprise

Switching from RDCMan to Remote Desktop Manager (RDM) Enterprise is a significant upgrade in every area. Here is a helpful chart to help you compare the differences.

For a complete list of features in RDM, please head over here.

Try RDM

Remote Desktop Connection Manager Microsoft

Microsoft Desktop Connection Manager

Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager Import Csv Format

We invite you to try RDM Enterprise free for 30 days, and to explore all of its features and functions. Then when your trial period is over, you can either purchase an affordable license (multiple options are available based on your needs), or you can switch over to RDM Free and use it for as long as you wish without paying anything.

Download Remote Desktop Connection Manager Windows 10

Other Alternatives

Remote Desktop Manager Replacement

If RDM (Free or Enterprise) isn’t the alternative to RDCMan that you’re looking for, then we suggest you head to AlternativeTo, where you’ll find profiles and reviews of various remote connection tools.