MEDIUM CVSS 5.9
Published: 2026-01-14

CVE-2026-22851

freerdp freerdp Security Advisory (CVE-2026-22851)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2026-22851 impacting freerdp freerdp. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.9 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to 3.20.1, a race condition between the RDPGFX dynamic virtual channel thread and the SDL render thread leads to a heap use-after-free. Specifically, an escaped pointer to sdl->primary (SDL_Surface) is accessed after it has been freed during RDPGFX ResetGraphics handling. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.20.1.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
High (AC:H)
Depends on race conditions or environment
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product freerdp / freerdp
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-362

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2026-22851 impacting freerdp freerdp.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2026-22851.yaml
id: cve-2026-22851

info:
  name: freerdp freerdp - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2026-22851 affecting freerdp freerdp.
    Evaluation: FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to 3.20.1, a race condition between the RDPGFX dynamic virtual channel thread a...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2026-22851
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    cvss-score: 5.9
    cve-id: CVE-2026-22851
    cwe-id: CWE-362
  tags: cve,cve-2026-22851,freerdp,freerdp,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "freerdp"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2026-22851.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2026-22851
# Target: freerdp freerdp | CVSS: 5.9 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2026-22851 (freerdp freerdp)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against freerdp freerdp scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2026-22851.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2026-22851
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install freerdp 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade freerdp 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update freerdp

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i freerdp 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i freerdp

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2026-22851 in freerdp freerdp?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update freerdp freerdp packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2026-22851?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2026-22851?

CVE-2026-22851 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.9 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.9
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2026-22851
Weakness CWE-362
Vendor freerdp
Product freerdp
Published 2026-01-14
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H