Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessLure user to malicious RDP server
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DeliveryClient initiates RDP connection
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ExploitServer sends crafted response
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ExecutionTrigger use-after-free in client
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code in user context
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
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. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the victim to actively initiate an RDP session from the Windows Remote Desktop Client to a server the attacker controls or can manipulate (UI:R) - the client must connect outward; this is not a flaw in the RDP listener/host and cannot be triggered by an unsolicited inbound connection to the victim. The high attack complexity (AC:H) indicates the use-after-free depends on winning a memory-state race or precise heap conditions rather than a deterministic single-shot trigger. No authentication is required of the attacker (PR:N), and exploitation yields code execution confined to the connecting user's context (S:U). Primary limiting factors defenders can rely on: mandatory user interaction to connect to a hostile endpoint, high exploitation complexity, and the absence of any observed exploitation (SSVC Exploitation=none, no KEV). |
| Impact | This is a client-side remote code execution flaw (CWE-416 use-after-free) in the Windows Remote Desktop Client, rated CVSS 7.5. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) shows that although the attack is network-reachable and requires no privileges, it carries HIGH attack complexity and REQUIRES user interaction - the victim must be lured into initiating an RDP connection to an attacker-controlled or malicious server. These two limiters (AC:H + UI:R) are why the score lands at 7.5 rather than 9.8 despite total C/I/A impact. The signals are internally consistent and point toward LOWER real-world urgency than the 'RCE' label alone suggests: CISA's SSVC decision framework lists Exploitation=none and Automatable=no (consistent with the user-interaction requirement and high complexity), even though Technical Impact=total. There is no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit identified, so there is no evidence of active or at-scale exploitation. EPSS was not provided in the input, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified here. Net assessment: a genuinely impactful but NON-wormable, interaction-dependent client bug - important to patch on a normal cycle given the ubiquity of the RDP client, but not an emergency 'drop everything' issue absent any exploitation signal. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker stands up a malicious RDP endpoint (or compromises/spoofs a legitimate one) and uses social engineering - a phishing link, .rdp attachment, or rogue gateway - to induce a user to connect with the Windows Remote Desktop Client. During the session the malicious server returns crafted data that triggers the use-after-free in the client, letting the attacker execute code in the victim's context. No public proof-of-concept was identified at time of analysis, and the high attack complexity (AC:H) means reliable triggering of the freed-memory condition is non-trivial. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Remote code execution affects the Windows Remote Desktop Client (mstsc) across a wide range of supported desktop and server builds, allowing an attacker who controls or manipulates an RDP endpoint to execute code in the context of the connecting user. The flaw is a use-after-free (CWE-416) rated CVSS 7.5; exploitation requires the victim to actively initiate an RDP session outward to the hostile server (UI:R), and high attack complexity (AC:H) reflects dependence on heap/race conditions rather than a deterministic trigger - no authentication is required of the attacker (PR:N). No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and CISA's SSVC records Exploitation=none with no KEV listing, so risk is driven by the breadth of affected Windows builds and the total technical impact should the memory-corruption primitive be reliably converted into code execution.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: apply the Microsoft cumulative updates that raise affected builds to or above the fixed thresholds - Windows 10 1607 / Server 2016 to 10.0.14393.9612, Windows 10 1809 / Server 2019 to 10.0.17763.9376, Windows 10 21H2 to 10.0.19044.7807 and Windows 10 22H2 to 10.0.19045.7807, Windows 11 23H2 to 10.0.22631.7652, Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.9711 (Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.33650), Windows 11 25H2 to 10.0.26200.9711, Windows 11 26H1 to 10.0.28000.3231, Windows 11 26H2 to 10.0.26300.9711, Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5761, Server 2012 to 6.2.9200.26434 and Server 2012 R2 to 6.3.9600.23470 - with details and download links in the Microsoft advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69988. Because this is a client-side flaw that only triggers when a user connects outward to a hostile or compromised RDP endpoint, effective interim mitigations are: block outbound TCP/UDP 3389 from client and administrator workstations to untrusted internet destinations at the egress firewall (lowers exposure where outbound RDP is legitimate, but may disrupt legitimate remote administration and should be scoped to a managed allowlist of approved RDP gateways); prohibit opening .rdp connection files or RDP hyperlinks supplied by untrusted parties via email, chat, or the web, and remove the Remote Desktop Connection client from non-administrative endpoints where it is not operationally required (uninstalling or disabling the component removes the attack surface but disables legitimate remote support workflows); and, where remote access is required, force connections through a brokered RD Gateway or jump host whose endpoints are trusted and patched, since the flaw is not in the RDP listener and cannot be triggered by unsolicited inbound connections to the victim. Prioritize patching for users who routinely initiate RDP sessions to third-party or externally hosted servers, as that population carries the highest residual exposure until the cumulative updates are deployed; note that SSVC rates Automatable=no and Exploitation=none, so emergency out-of-band action is not indicated, but the technical impact rating is total once a working memory-corruption chain is developed.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 20 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in the Windows Remote Desktop Client, the client-side component (mstsc.exe and its RDP protocol stack) that renders and drives connections to RDP servers. Because the defect sits in the client, the attack surface is the parsing and teardown of data received from a remote RDP peer during a session the user initiates - malformed or state-manipulating server responses cause a heap object to be freed while a pointer to it remains in use, leading to memory corruption that can be steered toward code execution. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H confirms network reachability with no attacker credentials, a mandatory user action (the outbound RDP connection), high complexity consistent with winning a memory-state race or arranging specific heap layout, and impact confined to the connecting user's security context (S:U) rather than crossing a privilege boundary. Per EUVD, every mainstream Windows client and server branch that ships the RDP client is in scope, including Windows 10 1607/1809/21H2/22H2, Windows 11 23H2 through 26H2, and Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025 (including Server Core installations). The affected-version data is expressed as build thresholds (for example 10.0.17763.0 < 10.0.17763.9376 for the 1809/Server 2019 branch), which map to Microsoft's cumulative update servicing baseline; no CPE strings were supplied, so exact component identification should be taken from the vendor's update guide rather than inferred. Tags classify the underlying defect as memory corruption manifesting as use-after-free with denial-of-service potential, while the CVSS confidentiality, integrity, and availability ratings are all High.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable but client-side: victim must connect to a malicious RDP server (UI:R) and a memory race must be won (AC:H); attacker needs no privileges (PR:N) and full user-context compromise yields C/I/A High.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Remote Desktop Client allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Executive ViewAI
Windows Remote Desktop Client (mstsc) contains a high-severity use-after-free vulnerability that could let an attacker-controlled RDP server execute code as the connecting user across a wide range of supported Windows desktop and server builds. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and a patch is available per vendor advisory; exploitation requires the victim to initiate an outbound RDP session to a hostile endpoint. Leadership should prioritize patching and user awareness because the client is ubiquitous and successful exploitation would grant an attacker the victim's user privileges.
Apply vendor patch.
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
Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.
Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.
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EUVD-2026-99846
GHSA-3942-r52h-9r9g
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB