REDHAT-BUG-2509985: Use After Free

Published Aug 1, 2026
·
Updated

FreeRDP before 3.29.0 contains a client-side heap use-after-free in the async update message proxy for WINDOWICONORDER when AsyncUpdate is enabled (e.g. xfreerdp /async-update). In updatemessageWindowIcon() a shallow CopyMemory() overwrites a freshly allocated lParam->iconInfo with the parser-owned windowIcon->iconInfo pointer. After the parser callback returns, updaterecvwindowinfoorder() frees windowicon.iconInfo, but the queued async message still retains and later dispatches that stale pointer. A malicious or compromised RDP server sending a crafted RAIL Window Alternate Secondary Order with WINDOWORDERICON can trigger use-after-free, leading to memory corruption and client crash.

Affected Software

1 affected component
FreeRDP<3.29.0

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade FreeRDP to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3.29.0

Event History

Aug 1, 2026
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·01:01 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

Which FreeRDP clients are exposed?

Clients running a version before 3.29.0 are exposed when AsyncUpdate is enabled, such as when xfreerdp is launched with /async-update. The issue is client-side and is triggered while processing RAIL window icon update data.

2

What does an attacker need to exploit this?

An attacker needs to control or compromise an RDP server that the affected client connects to. The server must send a crafted RAIL Window Alternate Secondary Order containing WINDOW_ORDER_ICON data.

3

What is the likely impact on an affected client?

Successful triggering causes a heap use-after-free in the client, which can result in memory corruption and a client crash.

Contact

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