Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This affects FreeRDP clients, not RDP servers generally. If a user connects with a vulnerable FreeRDP-based client to a malicious server, crafted graphics compression data can likely crash the client. The sourced impact is availability only; confidentiality and integrity impact are not indicated.
Executive priority
Treat as a routine but real availability risk. Patch during the normal security maintenance cycle, with faster action for teams that connect to external RDP servers or depend on FreeRDP clients for operational access.
Technical view
FreeRDP versions before 2.9.0 contain a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in the ZGFX decoder. A malicious server can supply data that the client attempts to decode, likely causing a crash. CVSS 3.1 is 4.8 with high attack complexity and required user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Linux or other systems using FreeRDP clients or applications embedding FreeRDP below 2.9.0. Risk is higher where users connect to untrusted, external, or customer-controlled RDP servers.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires a malicious server and user interaction, and the stated outcome is likely client crash rather than code execution.
Researcher notes
The public record points to the ZGFX decoder and a fixing commit, but the bundle does not include exploitation details beyond malicious-server-triggered out-of-bounds read. Avoid expanding impact beyond client crash unless additional vendor evidence supports it.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade FreeRDP to version 2.9.0 or later.
- Apply fixed distribution packages from Fedora, Debian LTS, Gentoo, or relevant vendor channels.
- Prioritize users connecting to untrusted or third-party RDP servers.
- Restrict vulnerable clients from connecting to untrusted RDP servers until updated.
- Check vendor advisories for any product-specific backported fixes.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints and applications using FreeRDP or freerdp2 packages.
- Confirm installed FreeRDP versions are 2.9.0 or vendor-fixed builds.
- Review Linux distribution security advisories for backport status.
- Identify workflows where users connect to external or untrusted RDP servers.
- Confirm vulnerability scanners detect FreeRDP below the fixed version.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-125: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-39316 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.23.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.8MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/security/advisories/GHSA-5w4j-mrrh-jjrmCVE reference
- https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/commit/e865c24efc40ebc52e75979c94cdd4ee2c1495b0CVE reference
- FEDORA-2022-fd6e43dec8CVE reference · vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2022-076b1c9978CVE reference · vendor-advisory
- [debian-lts-announce] 20231117 [SECURITY] [DLA 3654-1] freerdp2 security updateCVE reference · mailing-list
- GLSA-202401-16CVE reference · vendor-advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/02/msg00016.htmlCVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Out-of-bounds Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.