Medium exploit reference

CVE-2026-40254 — FreeRDP: contains_dotdot() off-by-one allows drive channel path traversal via terminal ..

FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. Versions prior to 3.25.0 have an off-by-one in the path traversal filter in `channels/drive/client/drive_file.c`. The `contains_dotdot()` function catches `../` and `..\` mid-path but misses `..` when it's the last component with no trailing separator. A rogue RDP server can read, list, or write files one directory above the client's shared folder through RDPDR requests. This requires the victim to connect with drive redirection enabled. Version 3.25.0 patches the issue.

Published Apr 24, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: GitHub_M

Low

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.

How the score was calculated

EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+2
Technical severity (medium)+3
CISA SSVC: exploitation "poc"+5

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation

Not confirmed

Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.

EPSS FIRST

0.23%

ahead of 13% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026

Affects

Freerdp

CVSS base

6.1

Medium · 3 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation

Proof of concept

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

can an attacker script the kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Partial

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

Documented mitigation — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Freerdp Freerdp).
The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
Apply the documented mitigations until a definitive fix is available.
Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
Freerdp	Freerdp	< 3.25.0	Vulnerable	NIST National Vulnerability Database
Freerdp	Freerdp	version < 3.25.0	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector

Network

Attack complexity

Low

Privileges required

None

User interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Scored by
6.1	CVSS 3.1	Medium	2.8	2.7	nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
4.2	CVSS 3.1	Medium	1.6	2.5	security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
4.2	CVSS 3.1	Medium	—	—	GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)

Scoring entities (NIST, CNA, ADP) score independently; each score is shown with its origin. For prioritization we use 6.1 (NVD (NIST)) as a conservative provisional reference — not a definitive official score.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-193

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 0.23%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).

web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

2026
Affected products added · freerdp/freerdp
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SSVC assessment updated
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Record published
Oct 13, 2026
Fix documented
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVSS changed · 6.1
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Source status changed · → Analyzed
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Record created in this database
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVE published
Apr 24, 2026 · GitHub_M

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

1 on the record

github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/security/advisories/GHSA-3xpj-m4hx-8vmx
Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory, x_refsource_CONFIRM, NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

Freerdp
every CVE for this vendor

CWE-193
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

High CVE-2026-111382 FreeRDP before 3.32.0 Heap Out-of-Bounds Write in AVC444 YUV444 Combine 11h
High CVE-2026-111380 FreeRDP 3.29.0 before 3.32.0 Heap Overflow via audin Apple Backends 11h
High CVE-2026-111381 FreeRDP before 3.32.0 Heap Buffer Overflow via Persistent Cache v2 Parser 11h
Medium CVE-2026-111373 FreeRDP before 3.32.0 NULL Dereference via Zero-Length WebSocket Ping 11h
Medium CVE-2026-111375 FreeRDP 3.0.0 before 3.32.0 Out-of-Bounds Read via RAIL Window Title 11h
Medium CVE-2026-111374 FreeRDP from 3.30.0 before 3.32.0 Resource Exhaustion via rdpecam StartStreamsRequest 11h

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-40254 is "FreeRDP: contains_dotdot() off-by-one allows drive channel path traversal via terminal ..", rated Medium. It affects Freerdp (Freerdp); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 6.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.23% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

Comments

Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.

No comments yet.