In $2020,$ many organizations scrambled to design and implement technical solutions to accommodate a workforce $($and customer base$)$ that seemingly overnight became entirely remote. There has been a rapid rollout of VPN services, remote access, video conferencing software, and mobile device provisioning to support work$-$from$-$home employees. Thus, companies en masse implemented enterprise solutions without much due diligence or security testing. One consequence of these rapid changes is that attackers have focused on exploiting these vulnerable and$/$or misconfigured remote access technologies in droves.In their Q$42020$ Threat Report Links to an external site., Essential Security against Evolving Threats $($ESETs$)$ research team reported that between the first and fourth quarters of $2020,$ remote desktop protocol $($RDP$)$ attacks grew by $768\%($Kovac$,2021).$ RDP is Microsoft's proprietary protocol that supports remote connection to both Windows servers and workstations. Poorly configured and hastily implemented, RDP services that are exposed to the internet are susceptible to brute$-$force attacks. In many organizations, these RDP services require only one$-$factor authentication, a users password, making fast work for an attacker using brute force or credential stuffing to gain initial access. In $2020,$ Microsoft remediated several RDP flaws that, if not patched, would allow attackers to gain access, even without correctly guessing a user accounts password.System administrators play a key role in the design and implementation of technical solutions that support business functions. They must be aware of the known risks for exposing RDP to the internet and advocate for hardening and mitigation strategies that will protect the organization from compromise.After reading the articles below, identify one or two additional challenges facing system administrators today. ResourcesIs the Job of a SysAdmin Dead? Or Just Moving with Times? Links to an external site. by ComparetheCloud.net$11$ Tips for Keeping Your SysAdmin Career on Track Links to an external site. by Hewlett Packard EnterpriseAs Ransomware Attacks Increase in Sophistication, We Need to Appreciate System Administration Links to an external site. by Chris Evans Use the following prompts to guide your response:Description of the security challenge$($s$)$Root cause and contributing factorsMitigations$/$corrective actions to reduce an organizations riskExamples include:Security awareness training for employeesTechnical skills training for the security teamVulnerability assessment$/$pentesting prior to production rolloutImproved and well$-$defined processes for alert handlingImproved technologies for increased visibility to host$/$network activity