Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A malicious Remote Desktop server can exploit a memory-management flaw in vulnerable FreeRDP clients after a user connects. The resulting memory corruption may crash the client or compromise confidentiality and integrity. FreeRDP versions before 3.26.0 are affected; version 3.26.0 fixes the issue.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for users who connect to external, partner-managed, or otherwise less-trusted RDP servers. The potential impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability, but exploitation requires user interaction and a malicious server. Patch promptly through normal high-severity change procedures rather than treating this as a confirmed active-exploitation emergency.
Technical view
The RDPEAR NDR parser can reuse one non-null pointer reference ID across fields without enforcing object type or ownership. Multiple fields then reference the same heap allocation, which the destructor independently frees, causing use-after-free, double-free, and type confusion. Exploitation requires client interaction with a malicious server and has high complexity.
Likely exposure
Exposure exists where FreeRDP versions below 3.26.0 connect to potentially malicious or compromised RDP servers and exercise the RDPEAR authentication-redirection path. Systems without FreeRDP, clients already running 3.26.0 or later, and deployments where applicable vendor updates are installed are not identified as vulnerable by the supplied evidence.
Exploitation context
The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.5 with network reachability, high attack complexity, no attacker privileges, and required user interaction. The source bundle does not provide evidence of active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked as included in CISA KEV. Absence from KEV does not prove exploitation is impossible or absent.
Researcher notes
The vulnerability is an ownership and type-tracking failure in NDR reference handling, mapped to CWE-415, CWE-416, and CWE-825. Review should focus on RDPEAR pointer aliasing and whether downstream distributions backported the 3.26.0 fix. The supplied evidence does not establish reliable indicators of compromise, exploit availability, or observed attacks.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade FreeRDP to version 3.26.0 or later.
- Apply the applicable Red Hat security errata where distribution packages are used.
- Restrict connections to untrusted RDP servers until vulnerable clients are remediated.
- Consult FreeRDP and operating-system vendor guidance for deployment-specific instructions.
Validation and detection
- Inventory installed FreeRDP clients and record their exact package versions.
- Confirm every deployment reports FreeRDP 3.26.0 or a vendor-patched equivalent.
- Check endpoint images, containers, and managed packages for older embedded FreeRDP copies.
- Verify applicable Red Hat errata are installed on affected Red Hat systems.
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-415: 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 lookupCWE-416: 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 lookupCWE-825: 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-2026-44422 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe 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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.65.9GitHub_MCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.65.9redhat-SADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Made public.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Reported to Red Hat.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
- 2026-05-29T21:01:10.766Z: Reported to Red Hat.
- 2026-05-29T19:41:46.829Z: Made public.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/security/advisories/GHSA-j9q5-7g8m-jc9vCVE reference, GitHub_M · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-44422CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2483467CVE reference, redhat-SADP · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-44422.jsonCVE reference, redhat-SADP · x_sadp-csaf-vex
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:46393CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36203CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
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.
Double Free
Double Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Expired Pointer Dereference
Expired Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.