Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessReach exposed FreeRDP server over network
-
DeliverySend incompatible protocol negotiation request
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ExploitReceive negotiation failure response
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ExecutionComplete TLS handshake
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PersistEnter RDSTLS despite disabling policy
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ImpactBypass pre-auth transport restriction
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Protection mechanism completeness
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires a FreeRDP instance running in server mode (versions 3.0.0 through 3.30.0) that is reachable over the network AND configured with server policy that disables RDSTLS - the flaw specifically defeats that disabling policy. No authentication or user interaction is required (PR:N/UI:N). The limiting factor is that the target must actually be a FreeRDP-based RDP server with RDSTLS administratively disabled; servers that permit RDSTLS gain nothing bypassed, and pure FreeRDP client deployments (the more common use of the library) are not affected. Impact is a downgrade/bypass of the intended pre-authentication transport restriction rather than direct code execution. |
| Impact | The vendor CVSS 4.0 base score of 9.2 (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N with subsequent-system SC:H/SI:L) rates this critical, driven by network reachability, no authentication, and asserted high confidentiality impact on both the vulnerable system and a subsequent system. That severity appears somewhat inflated for what the description actually describes: a protection-mechanism failure (CWE-693) that lets an unauthenticated client force a FreeRDP server into RDSTLS negotiation even when server policy has disabled it. This is fundamentally a policy/transport-restriction bypass, not a demonstrated data-exfiltration or code-execution primitive, so VC:H/SC:H likely overstate the direct confidentiality loss (assessed C:L/I:L). No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code are present in the input, so there is no signal of active or automated exploitation - this reads as a real but not-yet-weaponized pre-auth hardening bypass rather than an imminently-exploited RCE. Priority is moderate-to-high for exposed FreeRDP-based servers because it is remote and unauthenticated, but the concrete impact is a downgrade of an admin-enforced transport restriction, not confirmed compromise. SSVC framework fields were not supplied in the input and cannot be reported. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who can reach a FreeRDP-based RDP server (versions 3.0.0 through 3.30.0) over the network sends an incompatible protocol negotiation request, receives the expected negotiation failure, then proceeds to complete the TLS handshake and enter RDSTLS - even though the operator configured the server to disable RDSTLS. This bypasses the intended pre-authentication transport restriction with no credentials required. No public proof-of-concept is identified in the provided data; the flaw was reported by VulnCheck. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 16, 2026
Unauthenticated remote attackers can bypass the RDSTLS-disabling policy on FreeRDP servers 3.0.0 through 3.30.0 by sending incompatible protocol requests that produce a negotiation failure, then completing a TLS handshake and entering RDSTLS anyway, defeating the intended pre-authentication transport restriction. The vendor CVSS 4.0 base score is 9.2, but our independent CVSS 3.1 assessment is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N, reflecting a policy bypass with limited confidentiality and integrity impact rather than direct code execution; no public exploit was identified at time of analysis. Only network-reachable FreeRDP server-mode deployments with RDSTLS administratively disabled are affected, while client-side FreeRDP deployments are not impacted.
RemediationAI
Upgrade FreeRDP server deployments to version 3.31.0 or later, the vendor-released patch that corrects the protocol negotiation bypass (see https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/security/advisories/GHSA-x7v6-xfx3-52j6). If immediate upgrade is not possible, reduce exposure by restricting network access to the FreeRDP server to trusted management networks or VPN clients, since the bypass is unauthenticated and remotely reachable; this may limit legitimate RDP access but removes the attack surface. Do not rely solely on the RDSTLS-disabled server policy as a transport hardening control until patched, because that policy is exactly what is bypassed. Review FreeRDP server logs for negotiation failures followed by successful RDSTLS connections as a detection signal, and validate the patched version by confirming the server rejects RDSTLS when it is administratively disabled.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
FreeRDP is an open-source implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). RDSTLS is an RDP security transport that uses TLS and can carry authentication exchanges, and many hardening guides recommend disabling RDSTLS on servers that do not require it. CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure) is the root-cause class: the FreeRDP server's protocol negotiation state machine does not consistently enforce the administrative RDSTLS-disabled setting. An attacker can first cause a negotiation failure using an incompatible protocol request, then proceed through a TLS handshake and select RDSTLS, bypassing the pre-authentication transport restriction the administrator intended to enforce. The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:freerdp:freerdp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* and EUVD lists FreeRDP 3.0.0 through 3.30.0 as vulnerable.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
Sources disagree (Medium–Critical)CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:H/SI:L/SA:N
Remote unauthenticated protocol bypass (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N), but the concrete effect is defeating an admin transport policy, so C:L/I:L and no availability impact rather than full high triad.
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
vuln.today treats the vendor’s rating as authoritative. A higher third-party CVSS (e.g. CISA-ADP) is shown for transparency but does not drive the headline severity.
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
FreeRDP server versions before 3.31.0 contain a protocol negotiation bypass vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to establish RDSTLS connections despite server policy disabling them. Attackers can send incompatible protocol requests, receive negotiation failures, then complete TLS handshake and enter RDSTLS to bypass pre-authentication transport restrictions.
Technical POC Analysis
The flaw is CWE-693 Protection Mechanism Failure, with CWE-755 Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions also identified in the advisory.
Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.
Executive ViewAI
A critical-severity flaw in network-facing FreeRDP server deployments allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass the policy that disables RDSTLS, effectively defeating a transport security control that leadership relies on to restrict pre-authentication access. Only organizations running FreeRDP in server mode with RDSTLS deliberately turned off are exposed, and no public exploit code was identified at time of analysis, so exposure is limited but the affected systems are directly reachable from the network. Because the flaw undermines an intentional security policy rather than granting code execution, the primary risk is weakened access control and potential unauthorized session establishment on internet- or partner-facing remote desktop gateways.
Patch available per vendor advisory.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_clipboard_format_equal before 3.23.0. Clipboard format comparison uses freed memory. Fifth
Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_AppUpdateWindowFromSurface before 3.23.0. Surface-to-window update triggers memory corrupti
Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_SetWindowMinMaxInfo before version 3.23.0. X11 client window management triggers memory cor
Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_cliprdr_provide_data clipboard handling before 3.23.0. Clipboard data exchange triggers mem
FreeRDP IRP thread handler has a use-after-free where the IRP is freed by Complete() then accessed on the error path. Fi
FreeRDP drive read heap overflow when server-controlled read length exceeds IRP output buffer. Fixed in 3.20.1. PoC avai
FreeRDP client before 3.20.1 has a heap buffer overflow in AUDIN format processing. A malicious RDP server can corrupt m
Use-after-free in FreeRDP xf_AppUpdateWindowFromSurface before 3.23.0. Different code path from CVE-2026-25953. PoC and
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), released under the Apache license. Rated critical
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), released under the Apache license. Rated critical
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), released under the Apache license. Rated critical
Same weakness CWE-693 – Protection Mechanism Failure
View allSame technique Authentication Bypass
View allVendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: Moderate| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 12 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 12 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 12 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | Not-Affected |
EUVD-2026-78806
GHSA-hcpv-8ff6-4xx8
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB