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.
CVE-2025-49144
This high-severity CVE scores 7.3 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 0.1%, top 73% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 7.3
- EG Score
- 7.3(medium)
- EG Risk
- —
- EPSS
- 35.0%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
June 23, 2025
Last Modified
April 15, 2026
References (7)
- security-advisories@githubhttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11yeUSWgqHvt4Bz5jO3ilRRfcpQZ6Gvpn
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/f2346ea00d5b4d907ed39d8726b38d77c8198f30
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/security/advisories/GHSA-9vx8-v79m-6m24
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-detect-notepad-vulnerability
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-detect-notepad-vulnerability-1
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-mitigate-notepad-vulnerability
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-49144-mitigate-notepad-vulnerability-1
Weakness Classification(3)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 11× in last 7d / 49× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
Showing the most recent 100 of 128 total refreshes for this CVE.
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Publicly available exploits
(3 references)Working exploit code is in the public domain (3 GitHub PoCs). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- GitHub PoCb0ySie7e/Notepad-8.8.1_CVE-2025-49144First seen Jun 29, 2025
Proof of Concept (PoC) that exploits the CVE-2025-49144 vulnerability in the Notepad++ 8.8.1 installer.
Open source ↗ - GitHub PoCTheTorjanCaptain/CVE-2025-49144_PoCFirst seen Jun 25, 2025
CVE-2025-49144 PoC for security researchers to test and try.
Open source ↗ - GitHub PoCVr00mm/CVE-2025-49144First seen Jun 24, 2025
PoC CVE-2025-49144
Open source ↗
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2025-49144?
When was CVE-2025-49144 disclosed?
Is CVE-2025-49144 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-49144?
How do I remediate CVE-2025-49144?
Dependency Blast Radius
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