CVE-2026-7831 — UltraVNC viewer off-by-one stack overflow in ServerInit desktop name parsing
UltraVNC viewer through 1.8.2.2 contains an off-by-one stack buffer overflow in the RFB ServerInit message handler. In vncviewer/ClientConnection.cpp, when the server-supplied nameLength equals exactly 2024 the code declares a 2024-byte stack buffer _dn[2024] and calls ReadString(_dn, 2024). ReadString writes the NUL terminator at buf[length], i.e., _dn[2024], one byte past the end of the stack buffer. A malicious VNC server can trigger this condition by advertising a desktop name of length 2024 in its ServerInit message. On release builds without stack canaries the single-byte NUL overwrite adjacent stack data. On builds with /GS stack protection the canary is corrupted and the process terminates, resulting in denial of service. User interaction (connecting the viewer to the malicious server) is required.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Technical severity (high)+6
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.
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.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
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 (Uvnc Ultravnc).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- 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.
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 2.8 | 4.7 | 33c584b5-0579-4c06-b2a0-8d8329fcab9c via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | securin via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H (score shown at the top: 33c584b5-0579-4c06-b2a0-8d8329fcab9c) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
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).
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · uvnc/ultravnc
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 7.6
- Source status changed · → Modified
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
3 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-7829 UltraVNC repeater authenticated out-of-bounds write in rule parser via oversized token Jul 1, 2026
- High CVE-2026-7830 UltraVNC MS-Logon II uses 64-bit Diffie-Hellman and seeded libc rand() enabling credential interception Jul 1, 2026
- High CVE-2026-7838 UltraVNC viewer heap buffer overflow via integer overflow in RFB connection-failure reason length Jul 1, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-7839 UltraVNC repeater ships hardcoded default admin password allowing unauthenticated admin access Jul 1, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-7840 UltraVNC repeater HTTP server global buffer overflow via long URI (pre-auth RCE) Jul 1, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-7828 UltraVNC repeater integer overflow in win_log malloc leading to heap overflow Jul 1, 2026
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 FIRST EPSS score.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- 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-2026-7831 is "UltraVNC viewer off-by-one stack overflow in ServerInit desktop name parsing", rated High. It affects Ultravnc (Uvnc); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.6 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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