CVE-2026-109242
Description
A flaw was found in FreeRDP. A malicious Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) server can exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted sequence of progressive display tile updates to a connecting client. Because decompression buffers are allocated without being initialized, processing these updates can trigger an internal assertion failure that terminates the client application or causes uninitialized heap memory to be rendered directly onto the screen. This allows an attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) or disclose sensitive information.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Important rather than Moderate because a compromised or malicious remote desktop endpoint can trigger an unhandled crash or leak uninitialized process memory to the client display without requiring privileges. In Red Hat Enterprise Linux, FreeRDP packages are primarily utilized to establish outbound remote desktop sessions, meaning exposure depends on connecting to an untrusted server. While the attack occurs over the network, exploitation relies on user interaction to initiate the connection to a rogue host rather than exposing a continuously listening network service.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.1 | N/A | 7.1 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | Low | N/A | Low |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory; Read Application Data
When reusing a resource such as memory or a program variable, the original contents may not have been cleared before it is sent to an untrusted party.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Instability
The uninitialized resource may contain values that cause program flow to change in ways that the programmer did not intend, possibly leading to a crash.
Other
Technical Impact: Unexpected State; Varies by Context
The consequences vary depending on the type of resource and how it is used within the product.
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