FreeRDP <3.23.0 GDI Heap OOB via RDPGFX ClearCodec
CVE-2026-26955 Published on February 25, 2026
FreeRDP has Out-of-bounds Write
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to version 3.23.0, a malicious RDP server can trigger a heap buffer overflow in FreeRDP clients using the GDI surface pipeline (e.g., `xfreerdp`) by sending an RDPGFX ClearCodec surface command with an out-of-bounds destination rectangle. The `gdi_SurfaceCommand_ClearCodec()` handler does not call `is_within_surface()` to validate the command rectangle against the destination surface dimensions, allowing attacker-controlled `cmd->left`/`cmd->top` (and subcodec rectangle offsets) to reach image copy routines that write into `surface->data` without bounds enforcement. The OOB write corrupts an adjacent `gdiGfxSurface` struct's `codecs*` pointer with attacker-controlled pixel data, and corruption of `codecs*` is sufficient to reach an indirect function pointer call (`NSC_CONTEXT.decode` at `nsc.c:500`) on a subsequent codec command full instruction pointer (RIP) control demonstrated in exploitability harness. Users should upgrade to version 3.23.0 to receive a patch.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-26955 can be exploited with network access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. Public availability of a proof of concept (POC) exploit exists for CVE-2026-26955. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.
Weakness Type
What is a Memory Corruption Vulnerability?
The software writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. Typically, this can result in corruption of data, a crash, or code execution. The software may modify an index or perform pointer arithmetic that references a memory location that is outside of the boundaries of the buffer. A subsequent write operation then produces undefined or unexpected results.
CVE-2026-26955 has been classified to as a Memory Corruption vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-26955
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Affected Versions
FreeRDP Version < 3.23.0 is affected by CVE-2026-26955Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.