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Freerdp CVE-2026-27950

HIGH
Use After Free (CWE-416)
2026-02-25 security-advisories@github.com
Use After Free Red Hat Freerdp Suse
7.5
CVSS 3.1 · GitHub Advisory
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Send RDP connection request
  2. Exploit
    Trigger heap-use-after-free in SDL2 code path
  3. Impact
    Cause denial of service crash

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-416
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

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Exploitation Conditions

FreeRDP versions prior to 3.23.0 compiled with SDL2 backend (not SDL3). Vulnerable SDL2 code path retains unfixed pointer dereference after memory free. Remote unauthenticated RDP connection to affected FreeRDP instance.
Impact

CVSS 7.5 (HIGH). Attack vector: Network. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: None. User interaction: None. Exploitable via remote/network.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to compromise the affected system.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

FreeRDP versions prior to 3.23.0 contain an incomplete fix for a heap-use-after-free vulnerability that affects only the SDL2 code path, where freed memory pointers are not properly nulled, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to trigger a denial of service condition. Users running FreeRDP with SDL2 backends remain vulnerable despite the advisory claiming the issue was resolved. Upgrade to version 3.23.0 or later to obtain the complete fix.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 21:55 CVSS 7.5

FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.23.0, the fix for the heap-use-after-free described in CVE-2026-24680 is incomplete. [CVSS 7.5 HIGH]

RemediationAI

A vendor patch is available — apply it immediately. Restrict network access to the affected service where possible.

Affects your stack

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Technical ContextAI · show details

Classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free). Affects Freerdp. FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.23.0, the fix for the heap-use-after-free described in CVE-2026-24680 is incomplete. While the vulnerable execution flow referenced in the advisory exists in the SDL2 implementation, the fix appears to have been applied only to the SDL3 code path. In the SDL2 implementation, the pointer is not nulled after free. This creates a situation where the advisory suggests the vulnerability is fully resolved, while builds

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source

GitHub Advisory PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
SUSE HIGH
Red Hat 4.3 MEDIUM

Primary rating from GitHub Advisory.

CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch released
Feb 27, 2026 - 19:10 nvd
Patch available
CVE Published
Feb 25, 2026 - 22:16 nvd
HIGH 7.5

DescriptionGitHub Advisory

FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.23.0, the fix for the heap-use-after-free described in CVE-2026-24680 is incomplete. While the vulnerable execution flow referenced in the advisory exists in the SDL2 implementation, the fix appears to have been applied only to the SDL3 code path. In the SDL2 implementation, the pointer is not nulled after free. This creates a situation where the advisory suggests the vulnerability is fully resolved, while builds or environments still using SDL2 may retain the vulnerable logic. A complete fix is available in version 3.23.0.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

FreeRDP versions prior to 3.23.0 contain an incomplete security fix that could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through a heap-use-after-free vulnerability. Organizations using FreeRDP for remote desktop access should prioritize patching to prevent potential unauthorized system access and data compromise.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 72% exploitable
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium
NVD CVE.org EPSS Vendor GitHub VulDB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

38
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Use After Free HIGH

Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.

Affected Products (CPE)GitHub Advisory

cpe:2.3:a:freerdp:freerdp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More in Freerdp

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CVE-2026-25997 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Feb 25

Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_clipboard_format_equal before 3.23.0. Clipboard format comparison uses freed memory. Fifth

CVE-2026-25953 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Feb 25

Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_AppUpdateWindowFromSurface before 3.23.0. Surface-to-window update triggers memory corrupti
CVE-2026-25952 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Feb 25

Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_SetWindowMinMaxInfo before version 3.23.0. X11 client window management triggers memory cor
CVE-2026-25959 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Feb 25

Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_cliprdr_provide_data clipboard handling before 3.23.0. Clipboard data exchange triggers mem
CVE-2026-22857 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Jan 14

FreeRDP IRP thread handler has a use-after-free where the IRP is freed by Complete() then accessed on the error path. Fi
CVE-2026-22854 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Jan 14

FreeRDP drive read heap overflow when server-controlled read length exceeds IRP output buffer. Fixed in 3.20.1. PoC avai
CVE-2026-22852 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Jan 14

FreeRDP client before 3.20.1 has a heap buffer overflow in AUDIN format processing. A malicious RDP server can corrupt m
CVE-2026-25955 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Feb 25

Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_AppUpdateWindowFromSurface before 3.23.0. Different code path from CVE-2026-25953. PoC and

CVE-2024-32041 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Apr 22

FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability

CVE-2023-40574 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Aug 31

FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), released under the Apache license. Rated critical
CVE-2023-40569 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Aug 31

FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), released under the Apache license. Rated critical
CVE-2023-40567 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Aug 31

FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), released under the Apache license. Rated critical

Same weakness CWE-416 – Use After Free

View all
CVE-2019-0708 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2015-5119 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2014-0322 HIGH POC
8.8
CVE-2012-4792 HIGH POC
8.8
CVE-2009-4324 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2015-0313 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2015-5122 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2013-2551 HIGH POC
8.8

Same technique Use After Free

View all
CVE-2012-4969 HIGH POC
8.1

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: High
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 Fixed

References

Advisories & patches
PATCH https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/commit/5f62aa11c1bdf00f94c40ea9ebb260a752740b80 PATCH https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/commit/c42ecbd183b001e76bfc3614cddfad0034acc758 PATCH https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/security/advisories/GHSA-rvfg-86cr-5r6p ADVISORY https://vuldb.com/vuln/347868 REF https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/blob/master/client/SDL/SDL2/sdl_pointer.cpp#L63-L64

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