CVE-2018-20181
CVE-2018-20181 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Rdesktop with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-191.
Key facts
- Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
- CVSS v2: 7.5
- EPSS exploit prediction: 8% (94th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-191
- Affected product: Rdesktop
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
rdesktop versions up to and including v1.8.3 contain an Integer Underflow that leads to a Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in the function seamless_process() and results in memory corruption and probably even a remote code execution.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2018-20181?
- rdesktop versions up to and including v1.8.3 contain an Integer Underflow that leads to a Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in the function seamless_process() and results in memory corruption and probably even a remote code execution.
- How severe is CVE-2018-20181?
- CVE-2018-20181 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2018-20181 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 8% (94th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2018-20181?
- CVE-2018-20181 primarily affects Rdesktop. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2018-20181?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
- When was CVE-2018-20181 published?
- CVE-2018-20181 was published on 2019-03-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-09/msg00040.html
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106938
- https://github.com/rdesktop/rdesktop/commit/4dca546d04321a610c1835010b5dad85163b65e1
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/02/msg00030.html
- https://research.checkpoint.com/reverse-rdp-attack-code-execution-on-rdp-clients/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201903-06
- https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4394
Affected products (3)
- cpe:2.3:a:rdesktop:rdesktop:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Rdesktop
- CVE-2018-20182 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): rdesktop versions up to and including v1.8.3 contain a Buffer Overflow over the global variables in the function…
- CVE-2018-20180 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): rdesktop versions up to and including v1.8.3 contain an Integer Underflow that leads to a Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in…
- CVE-2018-20179 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): rdesktop versions up to and including v1.8.3 contain an Integer Underflow that leads to a Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in…
- CVE-2018-20177 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): rdesktop versions up to and including v1.8.3 contain an Integer Overflow that leads to a Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in…
- CVE-2018-8800 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): rdesktop versions up to and including v1.8.3 contain a Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in function ui_clip_handle_data()…
- CVE-2018-8797 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): rdesktop versions up to and including v1.8.3 contain a Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in function process_plane() that…
Other CWE-191 (Integer Underflow) vulnerabilities
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- CVE-2026-53176 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: IB/isert: Reject login PDUs shorter than…
- CVE-2026-37534 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Integer underflow vulnerability in Open-SAE-J1939 thru commit b6caf884df46435e539b1ecbf92b6c29b345bdfe (2025-11-30) in…
- CVE-2025-52471 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): ESF-IDF is the Espressif Internet of Things (IOT) Development Framework. An integer underflow vulnerability has been…
- CVE-2025-29909 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): CryptoLib provides a software-only solution using the CCSDS Space Data Link Security Protocol - Extended Procedures…
- CVE-2024-47606 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): GStreamer is a library for constructing graphs of media-handling components. An integer underflow has been detected in…