CVE-2025-49144 (GCVE-0-2025-49144)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-06-23 19:01 – Updated: 2025-10-23 13:28
VLAI?
Summary
Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. In versions 8.8.1 and prior, a privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Notepad++ v8.8.1 installer that allows unprivileged users to gain SYSTEM-level privileges through insecure executable search paths. An attacker could use social engineering or clickjacking to trick users into downloading both the legitimate installer and a malicious executable to the same directory (typically Downloads folder - which is known as Vulnerable directory). Upon running the installer, the attack executes automatically with SYSTEM privileges. This issue has been fixed and will be released in version 8.8.2.
CWE
  • CWE-272 - Least Privilege Violation
  • CWE-276 - Incorrect Default Permissions
  • CWE-427 - Uncontrolled Search Path Element
Assigner
Impacted products
Show details on NVD website

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  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
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  • Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.


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