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Multiple Vulnerabilities in FreeRDP Allow Remote Code Execution and DoS

An anonymous remote attacker can exploit multiple vulnerabilities in FreeRDP to potentially execute arbitrary code, cause a denial-of-service condition, manipulate data, disclose confidential information, or perform other unspecified attacks.

Multiple vulnerabilities have been identified in FreeRDP, a free remote desktop protocol implementation. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities to achieve several malicious outcomes. While the specific CVEs and technical details of these vulnerabilities are not disclosed in this brief, the potential impact includes arbitrary code execution, denial-of-service (DoS), data manipulation, and information disclosure. FreeRDP is widely used, so these vulnerabilities have a potentially broad impact.

Attack Chain

  1. The attacker identifies a vulnerable FreeRDP server exposed to the network.
  2. The attacker crafts a malicious RDP request targeting a specific FreeRDP vulnerability.
  3. The vulnerable FreeRDP server processes the malicious request.
  4. If the vulnerability is an arbitrary code execution flaw, the attacker injects and executes malicious code on the server.
  5. The attacker leverages the executed code to gain further access to the system.
  6. The attacker may attempt to escalate privileges.
  7. The attacker could manipulate sensitive data or exfiltrate it.
  8. The attacker could cause a denial-of-service condition, disrupting RDP services.

Impact

Successful exploitation of these FreeRDP vulnerabilities can lead to a range of severe consequences, including complete system compromise through remote code execution. Data manipulation can corrupt critical information, while data exfiltration can lead to significant financial and reputational damage. Denial-of-service attacks can disrupt business operations and impact user productivity. The scope of impact depends on the specific vulnerabilities exploited and the targeted systems.

Recommendation

  • Monitor RDP traffic for anomalous patterns and unexpected data within RDP sessions using a network intrusion detection system.
  • Implement rate limiting on RDP connections to mitigate potential denial-of-service attacks.
  • Review and harden FreeRDP configurations to minimize the attack surface, specifically focusing on disabling unnecessary features.
  • Deploy the Sigma rules below to your SIEM to detect potential exploitation attempts.

Detection coverage 2

Detect Suspicious RDP Connection from Unusual Source IP

medium

Detects RDP connections originating from IP addresses not commonly associated with RDP traffic to highlight potential external compromise attempts.

sigma tactics: initial_access techniques: T1190 sources: network_connection, windows

Detect High Volume of Failed RDP Logons

medium

Detects a high volume of failed RDP logon attempts from a single source, indicating potential brute-force or password spraying attacks.

sigma tactics: credential_access techniques: T1110.001 sources: windows, windows

Detection queries are kept inside the platform. Get full rules →