Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XSummary
CVE-2026-22854 is a medium-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Freerdp Freerdp. Its CVSS base score is 6.8 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 37th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-22854 is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability in FreeRDP, an open-source implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Affecting versions prior to 3.20.1, the issue arises during drive read operations when a server-controlled read length is used to copy file data into an IRP output stream buffer lacking a hard upper bound. This enables an oversized read that overwrites adjacent heap memory. The vulnerability, published on 2026-01-14, carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and is associated with CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow).
A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability over the network without authentication, privileges, or user interaction. By crafting a malicious RDP server response with an oversized read length, the attacker triggers the buffer overflow during a client connection attempt, potentially achieving arbitrary heap memory corruption. This could lead to remote code execution, denial of service, or data tampering on the affected FreeRDP client system, given the high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The FreeRDP project addressed the vulnerability in version 3.20.1, as detailed in the release notes and security advisory. Security practitioners should update to FreeRDP 3.20.1 or later to mitigate the issue, with further details available in the GitHub release at https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/releases/tag/3.20.1 and the advisory at https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/security/advisories/GHSA-47vj-g3c3-3rmf.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-2673
Vulnerability Data
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to 3.20.1, a heap-buffer-overflow occurs in drive read when a server-controlled read length is used to read file data into an IRP output stream buffer without a hard upper…
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bound, allowing an oversized read to overwrite heap memory. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.20.1.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.4.1
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation (including fuzzing and memory-error detectors) can discover heap overflows after they have been coded.
Input validation enforces bounds checking on data written to heap buffers, directly stopping the overflow condition from being introduced.
Security engineering principles require use of memory-safe constructs and bounds-checked allocation routines that avoid introducing heap overflows.
Memory-protection mechanisms limit the ability of a heap overflow to execute attacker-controlled code or corrupt adjacent structures.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure-development practices directly require bounds checking and safe memory handling that prevent heap overflows.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover heap-overflow flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.
Timely patching removes known heap-overflow instances after they exist.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development and acceptance can detect heap overflows before release.
Secure development lifecycle mandates practices that reduce the likelihood of introducing heap overflows.
Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory APIs that mitigate heap overflows.
Secure architecture and engineering principles include memory-safety and input-validation controls that address heap overflows.
Secure coding standards directly prescribe techniques (safe functions, bounds checks) that prevent heap-based buffer overflows.
Change management ensures controlled deployment of fixes for discovered heap-overflow vulnerabilities.