UltraVNC through 1.8.2.2 uses a cryptographically weak pseudo-random number generator to produce VNC authentication challenge bytes. In rfb/vncauth.c:119-129, the vncRandomBytes() function seeds libc rand() with time(0) + getpid() + rand() and generates a 16-byte challenge. The combined seed space is approximately 31 bits (libc rand() internal state) and is entirely determined by publicly-observable values (wall-clock time and process ID). An attacker who can observe the authentication exchange can enumerate the seed space and predict the challenge within seconds, enabling forgery or offline brute-forcing of responses. Note: on Windows, the active code path may use vncEncryptBytes2.cpp which calls CryptGenRandom; reachability on shipped Windows binaries requires compile-graph verification and is under investigation.
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
References
| Link | Providers |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/ultravnc/UltraVNC |
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| https://uvnc.com/ |
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History
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:30:00 +0000
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| Metrics |
ssvc
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Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:45:00 +0000
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| First Time appeared |
Uvnc
Uvnc ultravnc |
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| Vendors & Products |
Uvnc
Uvnc ultravnc |
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000
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| Description | UltraVNC through 1.8.2.2 uses a cryptographically weak pseudo-random number generator to produce VNC authentication challenge bytes. In rfb/vncauth.c:119-129, the vncRandomBytes() function seeds libc rand() with time(0) + getpid() + rand() and generates a 16-byte challenge. The combined seed space is approximately 31 bits (libc rand() internal state) and is entirely determined by publicly-observable values (wall-clock time and process ID). An attacker who can observe the authentication exchange can enumerate the seed space and predict the challenge within seconds, enabling forgery or offline brute-forcing of responses. Note: on Windows, the active code path may use vncEncryptBytes2.cpp which calls CryptGenRandom; reachability on shipped Windows binaries requires compile-graph verification and is under investigation. | |
| Title | UltraVNC vncauth.c uses time-seeded libc rand() to generate VNC authentication challenge bytes | |
| Weaknesses | CWE-338 | |
| References |
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| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
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Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: securin
Published:
Updated: 2026-07-01T12:45:04.706Z
Reserved: 2026-05-05T03:40:37.003Z
Link: CVE-2026-44040
Updated: 2026-07-01T12:45:00.742Z
No data.
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-07-01T13:30:15Z