CVE-2020-29260
Description
libvncclient v0.9.13 was discovered to contain a memory leak via the function rfbClientCleanup().
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
libvncclient v0.9.13 has a memory leak in rfbClientCleanup() that can be triggered by repeated connections.
Vulnerability
libvncclient v0.9.13, part of LibVNCServer, contains a memory leak in the rfbClientCleanup() function. The function fails to free the vncRec structure allocated for each client connection, resulting in memory not being released when a client disconnects. This affects all applications using libvncclient v0.9.13.
Exploitation
An attacker can repeatedly connect to a server using a vulnerable libvncclient-based client, causing multiple allocations of the vncRec structure that are never freed. No special privileges are required beyond the ability to initiate VNC connections.
Impact
Repeatedly triggering the memory leak can exhaust available memory on the system running the vulnerable client, potentially causing denial of service (DoS) due to resource exhaustion. The leak does not lead to code execution or information disclosure.
Mitigation
The fix was committed in commit bef41f6 [1] to the LibVNCServer repository, which adds the missing free(vncRec) call in rfbClientCleanup(). Users should update to a version containing this fix or apply the patch. No workaround is available.
AI Insight generated on May 26, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
11- libvncclient/libvncclientdescription
- Range: <=0.9.13
- osv-coords9 versionspkg:rpm/opensuse/LibVNCServer&distro=openSUSE%20Leap%2015.3pkg:rpm/opensuse/LibVNCServer&distro=openSUSE%20Leap%2015.4pkg:rpm/suse/LibVNCServer&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Module%20for%20Package%20Hub%2015%20SP3pkg:rpm/suse/LibVNCServer&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Module%20for%20Package%20Hub%2015%20SP4pkg:rpm/suse/LibVNCServer&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2012%20SP5pkg:rpm/suse/LibVNCServer&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%20for%20SAP%20Applications%2012%20SP5pkg:rpm/suse/LibVNCServer&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Software%20Development%20Kit%2012%20SP5pkg:rpm/suse/LibVNCServer&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Workstation%20Extension%2015%20SP3pkg:rpm/suse/LibVNCServer&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Workstation%20Extension%2015%20SP4
< 0.9.10-150000.4.29.1+ 8 more
- (no CPE)range: < 0.9.10-150000.4.29.1
- (no CPE)range: < 0.9.13-150400.3.3.1
- (no CPE)range: < 0.9.10-150000.4.29.1
- (no CPE)range: < 0.9.13-150400.3.3.1
- (no CPE)range: < 0.9.9-17.41.1
- (no CPE)range: < 0.9.9-17.41.1
- (no CPE)range: < 0.9.9-17.41.1
- (no CPE)range: < 0.9.10-150000.4.29.1
- (no CPE)range: < 0.9.13-150400.3.3.1
Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
AI mechanics synthesis has not run for this CVE yet.
References
2- github.com/LibVNC/libvncserver/commit/bef41f6ec4097a8ee094f90a1b34a708fbd757ecmitrex_refsource_MISC
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/09/msg00035.htmlmitremailing-listx_refsource_MLIST
News mentions
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