Security protocol downgrade in FreeRDP client during negotiation
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The FreeRDP client from 3.0.0 before 3.32.0 does not check the security protocol that a server selects during negotiation against the protocol set the user enabled. A malicious server or man-in-the-middle can force a downgrade to a weaker protocol and receive the user's cleartext password. This flaw is classified as CWE-757, and a public exploit is linked in the references.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Description from the CNA
The FreeRDP client 3.0.0 before 3.32.0 does not check a server-selected PROTOCOL_RDSTLS or PROTOCOL_HYBRID_EX against its enabled protocol set in nego_process_negotiation_response(), allowing a security protocol downgrade. A malicious server or man-in-the-middle can select RDSTLS to override /sec:nla pinning, complete authentication with an all-zero cookie, and receive the user's cleartext password in the Client Info PDU.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
Update FreeRDP to version 3.32.0. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 is affected, and the sources list no fixed version for it, with the plan given as none available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
- Fix · CNA FreeRDP (FreeRDP) Fixed in 3.32.0
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
FreeRDP 3.32.0
20 records Highest priority Priority HIGH 1 HIGH, 15 MEDIUM, 4 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-71718 Heap buffer over-read in FreeRDP proxy DRDYNVC channel name handlingPriority HIGH 70
- TI-2026-71714 Unbounded memory allocation in FreeRDP drive redirection readsPriority MEDIUM 64
- TI-2026-71713 Reachable assertion in FreeRDP lets a malicious server crash clientsPriority MEDIUM 64
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-13 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-109952
- 2026-10-13 Alias added: GHSA-c6qf-gf3v-f99j
- 2026-10-14 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-10-18 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-18 Priority changed: LOW → MEDIUM
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score added · NVD
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 CVSS score added · Red Hat
References
More Freerdp vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-85092 Use-after-free in FreeRDP rdpgfx channel close handling CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.3
- TI-2026-85091 Out-of-bounds write in FreeRDP proxy via bitmap cache v2 capability CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.3
- TI-2026-24435 FreeRDP has a `size_t` underflow in ADPCM decoder leads to heap-buffer-overflow write CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2023-21373 Out-Of-Bounds Write in FreeRDP CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-08692 Server side NTLM does not properly check parameters in FreeRDP CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2023-21374 Out-Of-Bounds Read in FreeRDP CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
Sources
- CVE-2026-109952 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-109952 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-c6qf-gf3v-f99j · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-109952 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences