CVE-2025-4478 is a vulnerability identified in the FreeRDP component utilized by Anaconda's remote install feature on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, specifically affecting version 3.0.0-beta1. The flaw arises from a NULL pointer dereference triggered by a specially crafted Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) packet. When such a packet is received, it causes a segmentation fault in the FreeRDP service, leading to a crash. This crash occurs during the pre-boot phase, which is critical because the affected service is essential for remote installation and potentially other remote management functions. Once the service crashes, it remains defunct, resulting in a denial of service condition that prevents further remote installation or management until the system is rebooted. The vulnerability does not expose confidential data or allow unauthorized access but compromises system availability and integrity by crashing a critical service. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.1, reflecting high severity, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but requiring user interaction (UI:R). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), with no confidentiality impact (C:N), low integrity impact (I:L), and high availability impact (A:H). There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and no patches or mitigations have been explicitly linked yet. The vulnerability was reserved and published in May 2025 by Red Hat, indicating it is a recent discovery.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 with the affected FreeRDP version, especially in environments relying on remote installation or management via Anaconda's remote install feature. The denial of service caused by the crash can disrupt deployment workflows, delay system provisioning, and impact operational continuity. Critical infrastructure, data centers, and cloud providers using automated or remote installation processes may experience outages or require manual intervention, increasing operational costs and downtime. While confidentiality is not directly impacted, the integrity and availability of affected systems are compromised, which could cascade into broader service disruptions. Organizations with strict uptime requirements or those operating in sectors like finance, healthcare, or government may face compliance and service level agreement (SLA) challenges. The requirement for a reboot to recover the service further complicates incident response and recovery, especially in large-scale or distributed environments.

Organizations should immediately audit their Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 deployments to identify systems running the vulnerable FreeRDP version 3.0.0-beta1. Until an official patch is released, consider disabling the Anaconda remote install feature or restricting network access to the RDP service to trusted management networks only. Implement network-level filtering or firewall rules to block unsolicited RDP packets from untrusted sources. Monitor system logs and network traffic for unusual RDP activity that could indicate exploitation attempts. Prepare incident response plans to handle potential denial of service events, including rapid reboot procedures and fallback installation methods. Engage with Red Hat support channels to obtain updates on patches or workarounds. For environments where remote installation is critical, consider alternative remote management tools or methods that do not rely on the vulnerable FreeRDP component. Finally, ensure that all systems are updated promptly once a patch becomes available.