CVE-2026-44988

libvncserver is a set of programs using the RFB (Remote Frame Buffer) protocol. They are designed to "export" a frame buffer via net: you set up a server and can connect to it via VNC viewers. If the server supports WebSockets (which LibVNCServer does), you can also connect using an in-browser VNC viewer like noVNC. It is already in wide use for administration, but it is not that easy to program a server yourself.

Security Fix(es):

LibVNCClient is a library for easy implementation of a VNC client. In 0.9.15 and earlier, LibVNCClient's Tight encoding decoder uses fixed-size 2048-pixel scratch buffers for the Gradient filter, but it does not reject Tight rectangles whose width is larger than 2048 pixels. A malicious VNC server can send a crafted FramebufferUpdate rectangle using Tight encoding with NoZlib | ExplicitFilter and the Gradient filter. When a LibVNCClient-based client connects, the client processes the server-controlled rectangle width and writes beyond fixed-size Gradient buffers. This vulnerability is fixed with commit 5b270544b85233668b98161323297d418a8f5fd1.(CVE-2026-44988)

libvncserver is a set of programs using the RFB (Remote Frame Buffer) protocol. They are designed to "export" a frame buffer via net: you set up a server and can connect to it via VNC viewers. If the server supports WebSockets (which LibVNCServer does), you can also connect using an in-browser VNC viewer like noVNC. It is already in wide use for administration, but it is not that easy to program a server yourself.

Security Fix(es):

LibVNCClient is a library for easy implementation of a VNC client. In 0.9.15 and earlier, LibVNCClient's Tight encoding decoder uses fixed-size 2048-pixel scratch buffers for the Gradient filter, but it does not reject Tight rectangles whose width is larger than 2048 pixels. A malicious VNC server can send a crafted FramebufferUpdate rectangle using Tight encoding with NoZlib | ExplicitFilter and the Gradient filter. When a LibVNCClient-based client connects, the client processes the server-controlled rectangle width and writes beyond fixed-size Gradient buffers. This vulnerability is fixed with commit 5b270544b85233668b98161323297d418a8f5fd1.(CVE-2026-44988)

libvncserver is a set of programs using the RFB (Remote Frame Buffer) protocol. They are designed to "export" a frame buffer via net: you set up a server and can connect to it via VNC viewers. If the server supports WebSockets (which LibVNCServer does), you can also connect using an in-browser VNC viewer like noVNC. It is already in wide use for administration, but it is not that easy to program a server yourself.

Security Fix(es):

LibVNCClient is a library for easy implementation of a VNC client. In 0.9.15 and earlier, LibVNCClient's Tight encoding decoder uses fixed-size 2048-pixel scratch buffers for the Gradient filter, but it does not reject Tight rectangles whose width is larger than 2048 pixels. A malicious VNC server can send a crafted FramebufferUpdate rectangle using Tight encoding with NoZlib | ExplicitFilter and the Gradient filter. When a LibVNCClient-based client connects, the client processes the server-controlled rectangle width and writes beyond fixed-size Gradient buffers. This vulnerability is fixed with commit 5b270544b85233668b98161323297d418a8f5fd1.(CVE-2026-44988)

LibVNCClient is a library for easy implementation of a VNC client. In 0.9.15 and earlier, LibVNCClient's Tight encoding decoder uses fixed-size 2048-pixel scratch buffers for the Gradient filter, but it does not reject Tight rectangles whose width is larger than 2048 pixels. A malicious VNC server can send a crafted FramebufferUpdate rectangle using Tight encoding with NoZlib | ExplicitFilter and the Gradient filter. When a LibVNCClient-based client connects, the client processes the server-controlled rectangle width and writes beyond fixed-size Gradient buffers. This vulnerability is fixed with commit 5b270544b85233668b98161323297d418a8f5fd1.

The updated packages fix security vulnerabilities: Heap Out-of-Bounds Read in HandleUltraZipBPP due to unchecked subrectangle count. (CVE-2026-32853) NULL pointer dereferences in httpd proxy handlers via malformed CONNECT/GET requests. (CVE-2026-32854) LibVNCClient Tight Gradient decoding allows malicious server-triggered heap/stack OOB writes. (CVE-2026-44988) Attacker-controlled heap out-of-bounds write in libvncclient Tight decoder. (CVE-2026-50538)

These are all security issues fixed in the LibVNCServer-devel-0.9.15-3.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

This update for LibVNCServer fixes the following issue

• CVE-2026-44988: missing validation of rectangle width in tight gradient decoding can lead to server-triggered out-of- bounds write (bsc#1266459).

This update for LibVNCServer fixes the following issue

• CVE-2026-44988: missing validation of rectangle width in tight gradient decoding can lead to server-triggered out-of- bounds write (bsc#1266459).

This update for LibVNCServer fixes the following issues:

• CVE-2026-44988: Fixed missing validation of rectangle width in tight gradient decoding can lead to server-triggered out-of-bounds write (bsc#1266459).

This update for LibVNCServer fixes the following issues:

• CVE-2026-44988: Fixed missing validation of rectangle width in tight gradient decoding can lead to server-triggered out-of-bounds write (bsc#1266459).

This update for LibVNCServer fixes the following issues:

• CVE-2026-44988: Fixed missing validation of rectangle width in tight gradient decoding can lead to server-triggered out-of-bounds write (bsc#1266459).

It was discovered that LibVNCServer had a memory leak in the client cleanup function. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause LibVNCServer to consume memory, leading to a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. (CVE-2020-29260)

It was discovered that LibVNCServer did not properly validate bounds when handling UltraZip encoding subrectangles. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, and Ubuntu 25.04. (CVE-2026-32853)

It was discovered that LibVNCServer did not properly validate return values in the HTTP proxy handlers. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to cause LibVNCServer to crash, resulting in a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, and Ubuntu 25.04. (CVE-2026-32854)

It was discovered that LibVNCServer did not properly handle Tight encoding gradient filter rectangles. A remote attacker could use this issue to cause LibVNCServer to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2026-44988)