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.
The **CVSS Base Score** is a score from **0 to 10** that represents the intrinsic severity of a vulnerability. A higher score indicates greater severity.
Database CWE: v4.18
CWE-272: Least Privilege Violation ↗
The elevated privilege level required to perform operations such as chroot() should be dropped immediately after the operation is performed.
CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions ↗
During installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.
CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element ↗
The product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors.
Fonte: MITRE CWE
The **EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System)** is a score from **0 to 1** that indicates the **probability** that a vulnerability will be exploited in the real world in the next 30 days. A higher value indicates a greater likelihood of exploitation.
The **Percentile** indicates how much higher this vulnerability's EPSS score is compared to all other vulnerabilities in the EPSS database. For example, a percentile of 0.90 (90%) means that 90% of vulnerabilities have an EPSS score equal to or lower than the current one.
*Data updated as of: 2026-01-15
The **CISA KEV Catalog** lists vulnerabilities that have been **actively exploited in the real world**. If a CVE is present in this catalog, it indicates that the threat is immediate and mitigation should be a top priority.
CVE **CVE-2025-49144** is not present in the CISA KEV Catalog. This indicates that it is not currently classified by CISA as an actively exploited vulnerability.