CVE-2026-42985
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 · uneditedUse after free in Remote Desktop Client allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
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 · moderate confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in the Remote Desktop Client allows an unauthenticated attacker to achieve remote code execution over a network by exploiting improper memory management in the RDP client software.
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< 1.2.7214< 2.0.1193.0< 10.0.14393.9234< 10.0.17763.8880< 10.0.19044.7417< 10.0.19045.7417< 10.0.22631.7219< 10.0.26100.8655CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Microsoft Remote Desktop Client (modern app) is installedOpen Settings > Apps > Installed apps, search for 'Remote Desktop' and note if 'Microsoft Remote Desktop' appears. Alternatively, run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*Remote Desktop*"}' in PowerShell.Affected if The app is installed and its version is below 1.2.7214
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Check Microsoft Remote Desktop Client versionIf installed, right-click the app in Start menu, select 'App settings', scroll to the Version number. Or check via PowerShell: Get-AppxPackage -Name *RemoteDesktop* | Select-Object Name, VersionAffected if Version number is present and less than 1.2.7214
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Identify if Microsoft Windows App is installedOpen Settings > Apps > Installed apps, search for 'Windows App'. Alternatively, run 'Get-AppxPackage -Name *Microsoft.WindowsApp*' in PowerShell.Affected if The app is installed and its version is below 2.0.1193.0
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Check Windows version for built-in RDP clientRun 'winver' from Run dialog or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' from command line. Also run 'Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsVersion, OsVersion' in PowerShell.Affected if Windows version matches one of the affected builds: 10.0.14393.x (1607), 10.0.17763.x (1809), 10.0.19044.x (21h2), 10.0.19045.x (22h2), 10.0.22631.x (23h2), or 10.0.26100.x (24h2) with build number below the threshold for that release
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Confirm RDP Client feature is enabledOpen 'Remote Desktop' in System Properties (right-click This PC > Properties > Remote Settings) or run 'Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -Name fDenyTSConnections' to check if RDP client is active.Affected if fDenyTSConnections value is 0 (RDP client enabled) and the Windows version or RDP client version falls within affected ranges
A user is affected if they have Microsoft Remote Desktop Client below version 1.2.7214, Microsoft Windows App below 2.0.1193.0, or are running any of the listed Windows 10/11 versions with builds below the specified thresholds and have the RDP client feature enabled.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped1.2.72142.0.1193.010.0.14393.9234
Apply Microsoft security updates for the Remote Desktop Client as they become available to address the memory corruption vulnerability.
Remote Desktop Client >= 1.2.7214 | Windows App >= 2.0.1193.0 | Windows 10 1607 >= 10.0.14393.9234 | Windows 10 1809 >= 10.0.17763.8880 | Windows 10 21h2 >= 10.0.19044.7417 | Windows 10 22h2 >= 10.0.19045.7417 | Windows 11 23h2 >= 10.0.22631.7219 | Windows 11 24h2 >= 10.0.26100.8655
- Identify the affected product from the list: Remote Desktop Client, Windows App, or specific Windows 10/11 version
- For Windows systems: Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates
- Install all available security updates for your Windows version
- For Windows App: Open Microsoft Store, go to Library, and check for updates to install version 2.0.1193.0 or later
- For Remote Desktop Client: Download and install version 1.2.7214 or later from official Microsoft sources
- Verify the update was successful by checking the installed version number
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-42985 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-42985 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data