FreeRDP is an open-source implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), used by clients and libraries to connect to remote Windows and other RDP-enabled systems. It handles session setup, screen updates, input, device redirection, and features such as clipboard sharing.
In security terms, FreeRDP matters because it parses data received from a remote endpoint, which makes its protocol handlers part of the attack surface. If a malicious server sends malformed RDP or virtual-channel data, bugs such as buffer overflows or logic errors can lead to crashes, memory corruption, or potentially code execution on the client. Defenders reduce risk by patching quickly, disabling unneeded redirection features like clipboard sync, and limiting connections to trusted servers. In practice, FreeRDP is a good example of how a convenient remote-access client must treat every byte from the network as untrusted input.