Sources: National Vulnerability Database, CVE.org, CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS
CVE-2026-121955 Overview
FreeRDP before 3.32.2 contains a use-after-free vulnerability in Emulate_SCardReleaseContext that frees the emulated SCardContext before its worker thread is cancelled and joined. A malicious server can send ESTABLISHCONTEXT, a long-timeout GETSTATUSCHANGE, then RELEASECONTEXT smartcard IRPs to corrupt heap memory or crash clients using smartcard emulation.
Critical Impact
Affected Products
- FreeRDP: see the vendor advisory for the exact affected versions
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-11-04: CVE-2026-121955 published to the National Vulnerability Database by disclosure@vulncheck.com
- 2026-11-04: last updated in the NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-121955
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-121955 is a Use After Free weakness (CWE-416: Use After Free) in FreeRDP. Based on its CVSS vector, the flaw can be reached over the network, needs no login, and needs no user interaction. Memory is used after it was released, which can lead to code execution.
With a CVSS base score of 8.7, apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.
Root Cause
The weakness is classified as CWE-416: Use After Free. Memory is used after it was released, which can lead to code execution.
Attack Vector
Based on the CVSS vector, the flaw can be reached over the network, needs no login, and needs no user interaction. Attack complexity is low complexity.
No exploitation in the wild is confirmed by CISA at the time of the last update. Check the references below for any vendor or researcher proof of concept.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/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:X
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-121955
Detection Strategies
- Inventory every instance of FreeRDP and compare the running version with the affected range above.
- Check external attack surface scans for internet facing instances of the component.
- Run an authenticated vulnerability scan once your scanner ships a check for this CVE.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward FreeRDP application, access and audit logs to your SIEM for retrospective hunting.
- Alert on new processes, configuration changes or outbound connections from the affected service.
- Track the vendor advisory and the CISA KEV catalog for changes in exploitation status.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-121955
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the fixed version of FreeRDP named in the vendor advisory.
- Prioritize internet facing and business critical instances first.
- Rescan after the change to confirm the exposure is closed.
Patch Information
Use the fixed version listed in the vendor advisory for FreeRDP.
Workarounds
- If patching must wait, restrict network access to the affected service and place it behind authentication or a web application firewall rule.
CWE References
- CWE-416: Use After Free More CVEs with this weakness
Technical References
This entry is built directly from NVD, CISA KEV and EPSS data. Verify fixed versions in the vendor advisory before you deploy.
Frequently asked questions
Related CVEs
Use after free in Browser in Google Chrome prior to 150.0.7871.47 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to potentially perform a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Critical)
Sandbox escape due to use-after-free in the Graphics: Canvas2D component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 149 and Thunderbird 149.
Sandbox escape due to use-after-free in the Disability Access APIs component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 149, Firefox ESR 140.9, Thunderbird 149, and Thunderbird 140.9.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: fix use-after-free in ksmbd_tree_connect_put under concurrency Under high concurrency, A tree-connection object (tcon) is freed on a disconnect path while another path still holds a reference and later executes *_put()/write on it.
ALGO 8180 IP Audio Alerter SIP Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of ALGO 8180 IP Audio Alerter devices. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the handling of SIP calls. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the device. Was ZDI-CAN-28303.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: fix use-after-free warning in btrfs_get_or_create_delayed_node() Previously, btrfs_get_or_create_delayed_node() set the delayed_node's refcount before acquiring the root->delayed_nodes lock. Commit e8513c012de7 ("btrfs: implement ref_tracker for delayed_nodes") moved refcount_set inside the critical section, which means there is no longer a memory barrier between setting the refcount and setting btrfs_inode->delayed_node. Without that barrier, the stores to node->refs and btrfs_inode->delayed_node may become visible out of order. Another thread can then read btrfs_inode->delayed_node and attempt to increment a refcount that hasn't been set yet, leading to a refcounting bug and a use-after-free warning. The fix is to move refcount_set back to where it was to take advantage of the implicit memory barrier provided by lock acquisition. Because the allocations now happen outside of the lock's critical section, they can use GFP_NOFS instead of GFP_ATOMIC.
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