CVE-2023-39351 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2023-39351, which involves a FreeRDP Null Pointer Dereference vulnerability that can lead to denial of service.

Understanding CVE-2023-39351

This section aims to explain what CVE-2023-39351 is, its impact, technical details, and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2023-39351?

CVE-2023-39351 is a vulnerability in FreeRDP, a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), that can result in a Null Pointer Dereference leading to a program crash. This vulnerability affects certain versions of FreeRDP.

The Impact of CVE-2023-39351

The impact of this vulnerability is a denial of service due to a crash in the RemoteFX (rfx) handling of affected FreeRDP versions. It can potentially disrupt the normal operation of the Remote Desktop Protocol.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-39351

This section delves into the specifics of the vulnerability, the affected systems and versions, as well as the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability occurs in the

rfx_process_message_tileset

function of FreeRDP, where the program allocates tiles but may result in a NULL pointer due to incomplete initialization, leading to a crash.

Affected Systems and Versions

The versions affected by CVE-2023-39351 include FreeRDP versions less than 2.11.0 and versions greater than or equal to 3.0.0-beta1 but less than 3.0.0-beta3.

Exploitation Mechanism

Exploiting this vulnerability involves triggering the NULL pointer dereference condition to crash the affected FreeRDP application.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section focuses on the steps to mitigate the impact of CVE-2023-39351 and prevent future occurrences.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are strongly advised to upgrade their FreeRDP installation to versions 2.11.0 or 3.0.0-beta3 to address the vulnerability. No effective workarounds are known.

Long-Term Security Practices

In the long term, regular software updates, security monitoring, and timely patching can help prevent similar vulnerabilities in FreeRDP.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from FreeRDP and promptly install any patches or updates provided to address known vulnerabilities.