Executive brief
xrdp is an open-source tool that allows users to remotely access and control a computer's desktop over a network. A security flaw in how it handles data communication channels could allow a logged-in user to crash the service or potentially take full control of the server. This could lead to a total disruption of remote access services or unauthorized access to sensitive system data.
Technical details
A heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) exists in xrdp versions 0.10.6 and prior within the virtual channel forwarding mechanism. The vulnerability occurs because the xrdp process uses a fixed-size buffer when forwarding data from a remote client to the internal channel server without performing adequate bounds checking. An authenticated remote attacker can exploit this by sending a specially crafted virtual channel message that exceeds the buffer capacity, leading to heap memory corruption. Successful exploitation can result in a crash (DoS) or arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the xrdp process. The issue is resolved in version 0.10.6.1.
Affected products
- neutrinolabs xrdp <= 0.10.6
Timeline
- 2026-07-02: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-07-06: patched: Version 0.10.6.1 released
- 2026-07-20: disclosed: CVE-2026-44178 published to NVD