CVE-2026-22851 FreeRDP RDPGFX ResetGraphics race leads to use-after-free in SDL client (sdl->primary)
A race condition in FreeRDP's SDL client causes a use-after-free, potentially allowing remote code execution or denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-22851?
CVE-2026-22851 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Freerdp Freerdp, published on 14 Jan 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Prior to 3.20.1, a race condition between the RDPGFX dynamic virtual channel thread and the SDL render thread leads to a heap use-after-free. Specifically, an escaped pointer to sdl->primary (SDL_Surface) is accessed after it has been freed during RDPGFX ResetGraphics handling. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.20.1.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-22851?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Freerdp Freerdp.
How do I fix CVE-2026-22851?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-22851 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-22851 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in Freerdp Freerdp
- CVE-2021-37594 Other in n/a
- CVE-2021-37595 Other in n/a
- CVE-2026-67305 FreeRDP Windows Client before 3.29.0 Heap Buffer Overflow via Cliprdr
- CVE-2026-66402 FreeRDP before 3.29.0 TLS Certificate Identity Validation Bypass
- CVE-2026-67289 FreeRDP before 3.29.0 HTTP Proxy Request Injection via Redirection
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-22851, GHSA-8g87-6pvc-wh99, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-22851.