CVE-2026-121408
Description
A flaw was found in FreeRDP. This vulnerability allows a malicious Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) server to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by crashing the client application. The issue is caused by a race condition leading to a use-after-free memory error in the USB redirection component when the server sends a close request while the client is announcing a connected USB device.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Moderate severity because it requires establishing a connection to an untrusted or compromised RDP server and specifically depends on active USB redirection, primarily causing a client application crash. In typical Red Hat Enterprise Linux environments, USB device redirection is not enabled by default and requires explicit configuration when initiating an RDP session. The blast radius is restricted to the local user's RDP client process without impacting host system integrity or other user sessions.
Mitigation
Do not enable USB device redirection when initiating FreeRDP connections. Ensure that invocation scripts or connection parameters do not include USB forwarding options (such as `/usb`). Additionally, restrict connections exclusively to trusted remote desktop servers.
Caveats: Omitting USB redirection flags prevents local USB peripherals from being accessible inside the remote session.
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.3 | N/A | 5.3 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | High |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory
If the expired pointer is used in a read operation, an attacker might be able to control data read in by the application.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
If the expired pointer references a memory location that is not accessible to the product, or points to a location that is "malformed" (such as NULL) or larger than expected by a read or write operation, then a crash may occur.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
If the expired pointer is used in a function call, or points to unexpected data in a write operation, then code execution may be possible.
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