Vulnerability · Published Jul 20, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-54538xrdp: Pre-auth infinite loop via totalLength=0 in TS_SHARECONTROLHEADER
High 7.5
In plain English
A high-severity infinite loop in xrdp from neutrinolabs. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.7% (higher than 52% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
xrdp is an open source RDP server. In versions 0.10.6 and prior, a n issue was discovered where the software fails to properly validate the totalLength field within the RDP protocol control header during packet reception. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted packet that forces the xrdp process or thread into an infinite, CPU-bound loop. Because the internal pointer fails to advance and the deadlock prevention mechanism is bypassed for specific protocol data unit types, the process consumes excessive CPU resources indefinitely. This can render the xrdp service unavailable and potentially lead to system-wide resource exhaustion if multiple malicious connections are established. This issue has been fixed in version 0.10.6.1.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | xrdp | 0.9.21.1-1+deb12u3 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-54538 |
| Debian:13 | xrdp | 0.10.1-3.1+deb13u2 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-54538 |
| Debian:14 | xrdp | 0.10.6.1-2 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-54538 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | xrdp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54538 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | xrdp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54538 |
| Ubuntu:25.10 | xrdp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54538 |
| Ubuntu:26.04:LTS | xrdp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54538 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | xrdp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54538 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| neutrinolabs | xrdp | < 0.10.6.1 |
Weakness: CWE-835 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
References
- https://github.com/neutrinolabs/xrdp/security/advisories/GHSA-9j3q-9mvw-qv7j x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/neutrinolabs/xrdp/releases/tag/v0.10.6.1 x_refsource_MISC