CVE-2025-49144 json
Notepad++ Privilege Escalation in Installer via Uncontrolled Executable Search Path
published last yr. modified 6d ago also EUVD-2025-19601
- cvss
- 7.3
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 0.7%
- EPSS 0.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 51%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
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.
Patch / fix
Is CVE-2025-49144 in your stack? Fencer shows which of your repositories are affected as soon as an advisory lands, and opens the fix as a pull request.
Check with FencerCISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
- Assessed
- last yr.
Exploit prediction
0.66% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 51% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-09).
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | 3.1 | 7.3 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
Affected products
- notepad-plus-plus notepad-plus-plus
Classification
References
- github.com /notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/f2346ea00d5b4d907ed39d8726b38d77c8198f30
- github.com /notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/security/advisories/GHSA-9vx8-v79m-6m24
- drive.google.com /drive/folders/11yeUSWgqHvt4Bz5jO3ilRRfcpQZ6Gvpn
- vicarius.io /vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-detect-notepad-vulnerability
- vicarius.io /vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-mitigate-notepad-vulnerability
- vicarius.io /vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-detect-notepad-vulnerability-1
- vicarius.io /vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-mitigate-notepad-vulnerability-1
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2025-49144
- NVD CVE-2025-49144
Fencer Intel keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.
CPEs and fixed versions use Anchore's correction of NVD's data: Added CPE configurations because not yet analyzed by NVD.