CVE-2026-23883
published 2026-01-19CVE-2026-23883: FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.21.0, `xf_Pointer_New` frees `cursorPixels` on failure, then `pointer_free`…
PriorityP258critical9.8CVSS 3.1
AVNACLPRNUINSUCHIHAH
EPSS
0.40%
32.0th percentile
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.21.0, `xf_Pointer_New` frees `cursorPixels` on failure, then `pointer_free` calls `xf_Pointer_Free` and frees it again, triggering ASan UAF. A malicious server can trigger a client‑side use after free, causing a crash (DoS) and potential heap corruption with code‑execution risk depending on allocator behavior and surrounding heap layout. Version 3.21.0 contains a patch for the issue.
Affected
3 ranges
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| debian | freerdp2 | < freerdp3 3.21.0+dfsg-1 (forky) | freerdp3 3.21.0+dfsg-1 (forky) |
| debian | freerdp3 | < freerdp3 3.21.0+dfsg-1 (forky) | freerdp3 3.21.0+dfsg-1 (forky) |
| freerdp | freerdp | < 3.21.0 | 3.21.0 |
Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote
- →The vulnerability is triggered when a FreeRDP client connects to a malicious RDP server; monitor for unexpected FreeRDP client crashes (DoS) or heap corruption signals that may indicate exploitation of the xf_Pointer_New double-free/UAF code path. ↗
- →The vulnerable code path involves `xf_Pointer_New` freeing `cursorPixels` on failure, followed by `pointer_free` calling `xf_Pointer_Free` and freeing it again — target detection/analysis at this double-free sequence in FreeRDP versions prior to 3.21.0. ↗
- →Exploitation requires a client to connect to a maliciously-configured RDP server; restrict or alert on FreeRDP client connections to untrusted/external RDP servers as a mitigation and detection strategy. ↗
- ·FreeRDP versions prior to 3.21.0 are vulnerable; version 3.21.0 contains the patch. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is listed as 'Will not fix', and RHEL 7 is listed as 'Not affected'. ↗
- ·Debian bookworm and bullseye packages remain open/unpatched as of the tracker entry; scope is listed as local. ↗
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.19.8CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvdv4.07.7HIGHCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
osv7.7HIGH
vendor_debian7.7HIGH
vendor_redhat7.7HIGH
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VulDB
FreeRDP up to 3.20.x xf_Pointer_New use after free (EUVD-2026-3312 / Nessus ID 297109)
vuldb·2026-06-11·CVSS 9.8
CVE-2026-23883 [CRITICAL] FreeRDP up to 3.20.x xf_Pointer_New use after free (EUVD-2026-3312 / Nessus ID 297109)
A vulnerability was found in FreeRDP up to 3.20.x. It has been classified as critical. This impacts the function xf_Pointer_New. The manipulation leads to use after free.
This vulnerability is documented as CVE-2026-23883. The attack can be initiated remotely. There is not any exploit available.
Upgrading the affected component is recommended.
OSV
CVE-2026-23883: FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol
osv·2026-01-19·CVSS 7.7
CVE-2026-23883 [HIGH] CVE-2026-23883: FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.21.0, `xf_Pointer_New` frees `cursorPixels` on failure, then `pointer_free` calls `xf_Pointer_Free` and frees it again, triggering ASan UAF. A malicious server can trigger a client‑side use after free, causing a crash (DoS) and potential heap corruption with code‑execution risk depending on allocator behavior and surrounding heap layout. Version 3.21.0 contains a patch for the issue.
Ubuntu
FreeRDP vulnerabilities
vendor_ubuntu·2026-03-18
CVE-2026-25954 FreeRDP vulnerabilities
Title: FreeRDP vulnerabilities
Summary: Several security issues were fixed in FreeRDP.
It was discovered that FreeRDP incorrectly handled certain RDP packets. A
remote attacker could use this issue to cause FreeRDP to crash, resulting
in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code.
Instructions: In general, a standard system update will make all the necessary changes.
Red Hat
freerdp: FreeRDP: Arbitrary code execution and denial of service via malicious server
vendor_redhat·2026-01-19·CVSS 7.7
CVE-2026-23883 [HIGH] CWE-416 freerdp: FreeRDP: Arbitrary code execution and denial of service via malicious server
freerdp: FreeRDP: Arbitrary code execution and denial of service via malicious server
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.21.0, `xf_Pointer_New` frees `cursorPixels` on failure, then `pointer_free` calls `xf_Pointer_Free` and frees it again, triggering ASan UAF. A malicious server can trigger a client‑side use after free, causing a crash (DoS) and potential heap corruption with code‑execution risk depending on allocator behavior and surrounding heap layout. Version 3.21.0 contains a patch for the issue.
A flaw was found in FreeRDP, a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. A malicious server can exploit a use-after-free vulnerability by enticing a client to connect to it. This can lead to a client-side crash, resulting in a Deni
Debian
CVE-2026-23883: freerdp2 - FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to versio...
vendor_debian·2026·CVSS 7.7
CVE-2026-23883 [HIGH] CVE-2026-23883: freerdp2 - FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to versio...
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.21.0, `xf_Pointer_New` frees `cursorPixels` on failure, then `pointer_free` calls `xf_Pointer_Free` and frees it again, triggering ASan UAF. A malicious server can trigger a client‑side use after free, causing a crash (DoS) and potential heap corruption with code‑execution risk depending on allocator behavior and surrounding heap layout. Version 3.21.0 contains a patch for the issue.
Scope: local
bookworm: open
bullseye: open
No detection rules found.
No public exploits indexed.
Bugzilla
CVE-2026-23883 freerdp2: FreeRDP: Arbitrary code execution and denial of service via malicious server [fedora-42]
bugzilla·2026-01-19·CVSS 7.7
CVE-2026-23883 [HIGH] CVE-2026-23883 freerdp2: FreeRDP: Arbitrary code execution and denial of service via malicious server [fedora-42]
CVE-2026-23883 freerdp2: FreeRDP: Arbitrary code execution and denial of service via malicious server [fedora-42]
Disclaimer: Community trackers are created by Red Hat Product Security team on a best effort basis. Package maintainers are required to ascertain if the flaw indeed affects their package, before starting the update process.
Discussion:
This message is a reminder that Fedora Linux 42 is nearing its end of life.
Fedora will stop maintaining and issuing updates for Fedora Linux 42 on 2026-05-13.
It is Fedora's policy to close all bug reports from releases that are no longer
maintained. At that time this bug will be closed as EOL if it remains open with a
'version' of '42'.
Package Maintainer: If you wish for this bug to remain open because you
plan to fix it in a currently mai
Bugzilla
CVE-2026-23883 freerdp: FreeRDP: Arbitrary code execution and denial of service via malicious server
bugzilla·2026-01-19·CVSS 7.7
CVE-2026-23883 [HIGH] CVE-2026-23883 freerdp: FreeRDP: Arbitrary code execution and denial of service via malicious server
CVE-2026-23883 freerdp: FreeRDP: Arbitrary code execution and denial of service via malicious server
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.21.0, `xf_Pointer_New` frees `cursorPixels` on failure, then `pointer_free` calls `xf_Pointer_Free` and frees it again, triggering ASan UAF. A malicious server can trigger a client‑side use after free, causing a crash (DoS) and potential heap corruption with code‑execution risk depending on allocator behavior and surrounding heap layout. Version 3.21.0 contains a patch for the issue.
Discussion:
This issue has been addressed in the following products:
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Via RHSA-2026:2048 https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2048
---
This issue has been addressed in the following product
Wiz
CVE-2026-23883 Impact, Exploitability, and Mitigation Steps | Wiz
blogs_wiz·CVSS 7.7
CVE-2026-23883 [HIGH] CVE-2026-23883 Impact, Exploitability, and Mitigation Steps | Wiz
## CVE-2026-23883 :
NixOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation
xf_Pointer_New
cursorPixels
pointer_free
xf_Pointer_Free
Source : NVD
## 7.7
Score
Published January 19, 2026
Severity HIGH
CNA Score 7.7
Affected Technologies
NixOS
Rocky Linux
Has Public Exploit Yes
Has CISA KEV Exploit No
CISA KEV Release Date N/A
CISA KEV Due Date N/A
Exploitation Probability Percentile (EPSS) 39.2
Exploitation Probability (EPSS) 0.2
Affected packages and libraries
freerdp3
libfreerdp2-2
Sources
NVD
AlmaLinux 8 Severity HIGH Has Fix Added at: Feb 08, 2026
AlmaLinux 9 Severity HIGH Has Fix Added at: Feb 11, 2026
Alpine 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14, 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, 3.18, 3.19, 3.20, 3.21, 3.22, 3.23 Severity CRITICAL Has Fix Added at: Jan 29, 2026
Alpine edge Severity CRITICA
https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/blob/3370e30e92a021eb680892dda14d642bc8b8727c/client/X11/xf_graphics.c#L312-L319https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/blob/3370e30e92a021eb680892dda14d642bc8b8727c/client/X11/xf_graphics.c#L340https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/blob/3370e30e92a021eb680892dda14d642bc8b8727c/libfreerdp/cache/pointer.c#L164-L174https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/releases/tag/3.21.0https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/security/advisories/GHSA-qcrr-85qx-4p6xhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2048https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2081https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2222https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2736https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2770https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2824https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2952https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:3037https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-23883https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2430885https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-23883.json
2026-01-19
Published