# CVE-2026-121403: FreeRDP denial of service in drive worker via malformed IRP request

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-121403-freerdp-before-3-32-2-contains-a-denial-of-service-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-11-03. Updated: 2026-11-03  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-121403 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4.3 · Published 2026-11-03

FreeRDP is a Remote Desktop Protocol client that allows users to connect to Windows servers and desktops. A malicious RDP server can send a specially crafted drive request that kills FreeRDP's drive worker process, then flood the application with further requests that accumulate indefinitely and exhaust memory, causing the session to become unavailable.

Technologies: [FreeRDP](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/freerdp). Vendors: [FreeRDP](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/freerdp).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-121403 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-121403 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-121403?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4.3, published 3 November 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** FreeRDP before 3.32.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-121403?** Yes: fixed in 3.32.2. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-121403 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-121403?** Check whether you run FreeRDP at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- Fixed in 3.32.2

## Technical details

A truncated IRP_MJ_CREATE request (20-byte header with zero-byte payload) is accepted by irp_new() but causes drive_process_irp_create() to return an error that silently terminates the drive worker thread. The channel error is not raised because drive_poll_run() exits without flagging failure. Subsequent IRPs posted by the malicious server accumulate unbounded in IrpQueue without a consumer, causing memory exhaustion. The vulnerability requires drive redirection to be enabled (default in many configurations) and a network-reachable malicious RDP server.

## Affected products

- FreeRDP FreeRDP before 3.32.2

## Timeline

- 2026-10-19: disclosed
- 2026-11-03: advisory

## References

- [https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/security/advisories/GHSA-5qqp-5ffm-m3p9](https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/security/advisories/GHSA-5qqp-5ffm-m3p9)
- [https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/freerdp-before-3.32.2-denial-of-service-via-malformed-drive-irp](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/freerdp-before-3.32.2-denial-of-service-via-malformed-drive-irp)

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