Notepad++ Privilege Escalation in Installer via Uncontrolled Executable Search Path
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| notepad-plus-plus | notepad-plus-plus | affected |
|
No data.
No data.
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Notepad++ | Notepad++ | — |
| Notepad Plus Plus | Notepad++ | — |
| Source | ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
EUVD |
EUVD-2025-19601 | 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. |
No CVSS v4.0
No CVSS v3.0
No CVSS v2
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
Exploit prediction score: < 1% (0.658% probability within 30 days)
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Metrics |
ssvc
|
ssvc
|
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References |
|
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References |
|
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Metrics |
epss
|
epss
|
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Metrics |
ssvc
|
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | 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. | |
| Title | Notepad++ Privilege Escalation in Installer via Uncontrolled Executable Search Path | |
| Weaknesses | CWE-272 CWE-276 CWE-427 |
|
| References |
| |
| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
|