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FreerdpApplication

CVE-2026-22857

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.20.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to 3.20.1, a heap use-after-free occurs in irp_thread_func because the IRP is freed by irp->Complete() and then accessed again on the error path. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.20.1.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A heap use-after-free vulnerability in FreeRDP's irp_thread_func allows memory corruption because an IRP (I/O Request Packet) is freed via irp->Complete() and then incorrectly accessed again on the error path, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade FreeRDP to version 3.20.1 or later to patch the use-after-free vulnerability in irp_thread_func.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
FreerdpApplication
Affected:< 3.20.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify FreeRDP installation
    Run 'freerdp-version' or check your package manager for installed freerdp packages
    Affected if FreeRDP is not installed, the system is not affected by this specific vulnerability
  2. Determine installed FreeRDP version
    Execute 'freerdp-version' or use your system's package manager to query the freerdp version
    Affected if The installed version is less than 3.20.1 (e.g., 3.20.0, 3.19.x, earlier versions)
  3. Verify RDP client usage
    Check if FreeRDP client (xfreerdp) is actively used or configured to connect to remote systems
    Affected if FreeRDP is only installed as a library but not actively used as an RDP client, the attack surface is minimal but the vulnerability still exists in the code
  4. Inspect IRP handling code presence
    Locate the FreeRDP source or binary and verify the irp_thread_func component exists in the build
    Affected if The binary was built from a version prior to 3.20.1 and contains the IRP handling code path

The system is affected if FreeRDP is installed with a version lower than 3.20.1 and the RDP client functionality is being used, as the use-after-free in irp_thread_func can be triggered during RDP sessions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.20.1 or later
Fixed in 3.20.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FreeRDP to version 3.20.1 or later to patch the use-after-free vulnerability in irp_thread_func.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.20.1

  1. 1. Check current FreeRDP version using: `freerdp-version` or `apt list --installed | grep freerdp`
  2. 2. Update package repository metadata: `sudo apt update` (for Debian/Ubuntu) or equivalent for your distribution
  3. 3. Upgrade FreeRDP to version 3.20.1: `sudo apt install freerdp3=3.20.1` or `sudo apt install freerdp` to get latest available, then verify version 3.20.1 is installed
  4. 4. For source compilation: Clone the repository, checkout tag `3.20.1`, compile and install: `git clone https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP.git && cd FreeRDP && git checkout 3.20.1 && cmake -B build . && cmake --build build && sudo cmake --install build`
  5. 5. Verify the installed version: `freerdp-version` or check library version to confirm 3.20.1 is running
  6. 6. Restart any services or applications using FreeRDP to ensure the patched version is loaded

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Freerdp Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,070
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-22857 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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