CVE-2026-97789

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Use After Free in Windows Remote Desktop Client Allows Code Execution

Publication date: 2026-10-13

Last updated on: 2026-10-16

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Use after free in Remote Desktop Client allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-13

Last Modified

2026-10-16

Generated

2026-10-19

AI Q&A

2026-10-14

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-18

NVD

CVE-2026-97789

EUVD

EUVD-2026-99835

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
microsoft	windows_server_2022	to 10.0.20348.5761 (exc)
microsoft	windows_server_2025	to 10.0.26100.33650 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-416	The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a use-after-free issue in the Remote Desktop Client. It allows an unauthorized attacker to execute arbitrary code over a network by exploiting a memory corruption flaw.

Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability requires checking for affected Windows versions and applying Microsoft's security updates. Use Windows Update or run 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to verify system versions. Monitor network traffic for unusual Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections. Enable Windows Defender or third-party antivirus to scan for exploits targeting this flaw.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could remotely execute malicious code on your system, potentially gaining control over it. This could lead to data theft, installation of malware, or further network compromise if the system is part of a larger network.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows unauthorized code execution over a network, which could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data. Such access may violate compliance requirements under GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health information privacy) by exposing personal or health data.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest security updates from Microsoft for the Remote Desktop Client component. Disable Remote Desktop if not required and ensure network-level protections are in place to block unauthorized access.

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