CVE-2019-1181 — Remote Desktop Services Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Executive Summary

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Remote Desktop Services – formerly known as Terminal Services – when an unauthenticated attacker connects to the target system using RDP and sends specially crafted requests. This vulnerability is pre-authentication and requires no user interaction. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could execute arbitrary code on the target system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to send a specially crafted request to the target systems Remote Desktop Service via RDP. The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Remote Desktop Services handles connection requests.

Overview

9.8

CVSS CRITICAL

Critical

MS Severity

Not Exploited

MS Exploit Status

More Likely

MS Exploit Likelihood

Category Remote Code Execution

Released Aug 13 2019

Last Updated Aug 13 2019

Publicly Disclosed No

CISA KEV Not Listed

Known Exploits None Known

EPSS Score 0.75194 — 0.99449 percentile

CVSS Vector

ATTACK VECTOR

Network

ATTACK COMPLEXITY

Low

PRIVILEGES REQUIRED

None

USER INTERACTION

None

SCOPE

Unchanged

Temporal Score: 8.8

EPSS Score

0.75194

probability of exploitation in the next 30 days

0.99449 percentile - updated 2026-06-20

View on FIRST.org

Affected Products

34 affected products

Product	KB Article	Severity	Impact	Restart Required
Microsoft Remote Desktop for Android	`Release Notes (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Maybe
Microsoft Remote Desktop for IoS	`Release Notes (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Maybe
Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac	`Release Notes (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Maybe
Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems	`4512497 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 for x64-based Systems	`4512497 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems	`4512517 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems	`4512517 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1703 for 32-bit Systems	`4512507 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1703 for x64-based Systems	`4512507 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems	`4512516 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems	`4512516 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems	`4512516 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems	`4512501 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems	`4512501 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems	`4512501 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems	`4511553 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems	`4511553 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems	`4511553 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1903 for 32-bit Systems	`4512508 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1903 for ARM64-based Systems	`4512508 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based Systems	`4512508 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems	`4512488 (Monthly Rollup) 4512489 (Security Only)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems	`4512488 (Monthly Rollup) 4512489 (Security Only)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows RT 8.1	`4512488 (Monthly Rollup)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2012	`4512518 (Monthly Rollup) 4512482 (Security Only)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)	`4512518 (Monthly Rollup) 4512482 (Security Only)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2012 R2	`4512488 (Monthly Rollup) 4512489 (Security Only)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation)	`4512488 (Monthly Rollup) 4512489 (Security Only)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2016	`4512517 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)	`4512517 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2019	`4511553 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)	`4511553 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server, version 1803 (Server Core Installation)	`4512501 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server, version 1903 (Server Core installation)	`4512508 (Security Update)`	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Yes

Patches

11 patches

Article	Type	Restart
`Release Notes`	Security Update	Maybe
`4512497`	Security Update	Yes
`4512517`	Security Update	Yes
`4512507`	Security Update	Yes
`4512516`	Security Update	Yes
`4512501`	Security Update	Yes
`4511553`	Security Update	Yes
`4512508`	Security Update	Yes
`4512488 (Monthly Rollup) 4512489`	Monthly Rollup	Yes
`4512488`	Monthly Rollup	Yes
`4512518 (Monthly Rollup) 4512482`	Monthly Rollup	Yes

Known Exploits

No known exploits have been linked for this CVE yet. When available, exploit references will be sourced from public repositories and may be unverified, incomplete, or non-functional. Always review code carefully before use in any environment.

Acknowledgments

Microsoft Platform Security Assurance & Vulnerability Research, Andrew Burkhardt of MSRC Vulnerabilities & Mitigations Team

References

MSRC Advisory MITRE NVD