CVE-2025-49144: Notepad++ Privilege Escalation in Installer via Uncontrolled Executable Search Path

NVD analysis

Status

Deferred

Published

2025-06-23T19:15:23.727

Last modified

2026-06-17T09:30:49.357

Weaknesses

CWE-272, CWE-276, CWE-427

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.

References

• https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11yeUSWgqHvt4Bz5jO3ilRRfcpQZ6Gvpn
• https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/f2346ea00d5b4d907ed39d8726b38d77c8198f30
• https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/security/advisories/GHSA-9vx8-v79m-6m24
• https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-detect-notepad-vulnerability
• https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-detect-notepad-vulnerability-1
• https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-mitigate-notepad-vulnerability
• https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-mitigate-notepad-vulnerability-1

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

Read on 2026-11-03T01:45:24.571Z under licence nvd-api-terms-of-use@ff2a5288 from https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2025-49144

CVE record

Title (CNA)

Notepad++ Privilege Escalation in Installer via Uncontrolled Executable Search Path

Assigner

GitHub_M

State

PUBLISHED

Published

2025-06-23T19:01:16.276Z

Updated

2026-02-26T17:50:26.914Z

Problem types

CWE-272: Least Privilege Violation; CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions; CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element

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.

References

• https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/security/advisories/GHSA-9vx8-v79m-6m24
• https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/f2346ea00d5b4d907ed39d8726b38d77c8198f30
• https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11yeUSWgqHvt4Bz5jO3ilRRfcpQZ6Gvpn

Read on 2026-11-03T02:16:59.886Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2025/49xxx/CVE-2025-49144.json

Detection rules (SigmaHQ)

SigmaHQ rules whose own tags name this CVE. Each rule page shows the rule as its author published it.

• Potential Notepad++ CVE-2025-49144 Exploitation (status experimental, level high)

Defensive techniques (MITRE D3FEND)

D3FEND maps these defensive techniques to the weakness (CWE) that NVD lists for this CVE, through the digital artifacts the weakness affects. D3FEND does not say they stop this vulnerability.

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