Client crash via freed IRP error handling
Published Jan 14, 2026 · Updated Jan 14, 2026
Use-after-free in FreeRDP clients 3.20.0 and earlier allows remote attackers operating RDP servers to crash clients or corrupt heap memory. irp_thread_func calls the IRP completion callback, which frees the IRP, then invokes its Discard callback when the RDPDR send reports an error. Exploitation requires serial redirection and an RDPDR send failure; the demonstrated consequence is a client crash, while heap corruption creates allocator-dependent code-execution risk.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in FreeRDP clients 3.20.0 and earlier allows remote attackers operating RDP servers to crash clients or corrupt heap memory. irp_thread_func calls the IRP completion callback, which frees the IRP, then invokes its Discard callback when the RDPDR send reports an error. Exploitation requires serial redirection and an RDPDR send failure; the demonstrated consequence is a client crash, while heap corruption creates allocator-dependent code-execution risk.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-22857
- Published
- Jan 14, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 14, 2026
- Vendor
- FreeRDP
- Product
- FreeRDP
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1203
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 14, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 3.20.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- FreeRDP serial-redirection IRP use-after-free proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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