FreeRDP: Denial of service via repeated serial IRP_MJ_CREATE requests
Summary
FreeRDP clients before 3.32.0 do not close the previous serial handle when a malicious RDP server repeatedly sends serial IRP_MJ_CREATE requests after serial redirection is enabled. File descriptors accumulate until the client process terminates at an assertion during the next serial read. The demonstrated impact is denial of service only; no code execution or data compromise was demonstrated. Serial redirection is optional, and the attacker needs a session to a server they control.
Affected
- FreeRDP 2.0.0-rc0 up to, but not including, 3.32.0 (CNA record and OSV; GHSA lists <= 3.31.1)
- Note: Vulners lists a conflicting range of 3.31.0 to 3.32.0; confirm against the GHSA advisory.
Fixed in
- FreeRDP 3.32.0
- Distribution packages may lag; check your OS vendor's advisory for backported fixes.
Workaround
- No vendor-stated workaround.
- Disable serial port redirection in RDP client profiles until patched.
- Connect only to trusted RDP servers.
Exploitation
- CISA SSVC lists exploitation as 'poc' and automatable as 'no'. The GHSA advisory contains a proof-of-concept replay.
- No evidence of exploitation in the wild was found.
Our recommendation
- Upgrade FreeRDP clients to 3.32.0 or a vendor-backported build during routine patching.
- Disable serial port redirection where it is not needed.
- Avoid RDP connections to untrusted servers, such as third-party or remote lab hosts.
- Monitor open file-descriptor counts on clients running old versions as a detection measure.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-mqxv-c882-m8w9 github.com
- VulnCheck advisory: FreeRDP serial IRP_MJ_CREATE denial of service www.vulncheck.com
- FreeRDP 3.32.0 release github.com
- FreeRDP 3.32.0 release announcement www.freerdp.com
- OSV: CVE-2026-110830 osv.dev
- VulDB: CVE-2026-110830 vuldb.com
- Ubuntu security tracker: CVE-2026-110830 ubuntu.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 16:13.
Original description (NVD)
FreeRDP before 3.32.0 fails to close prior serial handles in serial_process_irp_create, allowing a malicious RDP server to exhaust file descriptors. Attackers can send repeated serial IRP_MJ_CREATE requests to accumulate descriptors and terminate the client at the CommReadFile FD_SETSIZE assertion.
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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