CVE-2025-49144
HIGHDescription
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.
How to fix
No published remediation has been found for this vulnerability's affected products yet.
Mitigation guidance may be in the linked vendor advisories in the References section below.
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CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 35% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-272 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2021-26726 | High | 8.8 | 1.1% | - | - |
| CVE-2025-8181 | High | 7.2 | 0.9% | - | - |
| CVE-2024-24830 | Critical | 9.9 | 0.7% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2025-59106 | High | 8.8 | 0.7% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-0798 | Medium | 6.5 | 0.6% | - | - |
| CVE-2026-11492 | Medium | 4.3 | 0.5% | - | - |
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-12-24.