CVE-2025-49144
Notepad++ Privilege Escalation in Installer via Uncontrolled Executable Search Path
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- GitHub_M
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.
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 21 days later
· 21 days later
Published
- 17 months later
· 17 months later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | High7.3 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Deferred | 3.1 | High7.3 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.66% · top 48% of all CVEs (7 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.3.
Weakness
Affected products
notepad-plus-plus · notepad-plus-plus
- affected < 8.8.2
References (7)
- https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/security/advisories/GHSA-9vx8-v79m-6m24 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/f2346ea00d5b4d907ed39d8726b38d77c8198f30 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11yeUSWgqHvt4Bz5jO3ilRRfcpQZ6Gvpn (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-detect-notepad-vulnerability (opens in a new tab)
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-mitigate-notepad-vulnerability (opens in a new tab)
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-detect-notepad-vulnerability-1 (opens in a new tab)
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-mitigate-notepad-vulnerability-1 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2025-49144)Record last updated .