Privilege escalation via design-example DLL planting
Published Dec 12, 2025 · Updated Dec 12, 2025
DLL search-order hijacking in Altera High Level Synthesis Compiler 19.1 through 24.3 allows local users to escalate privileges. A design-example batch file invokes a Windows executable while permitting DLL resolution from the current working directory, allowing an attacker-controlled DLL to load. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and active user interaction on Windows; Linux is unaffected, and loaded code runs in the invoking process's context.
Summary
What happened
DLL search-order hijacking in Altera High Level Synthesis Compiler 19.1 through 24.3 allows local users to escalate privileges. A design-example batch file invokes a Windows executable while permitting DLL resolution from the current working directory, allowing an attacker-controlled DLL to load. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and active user interaction on Windows; Linux is unaffected, and loaded code runs in the invoking process's context.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-13669
- Published
- Dec 12, 2025
- Updated
- Dec 12, 2025
- Vendor
- Altera
- Product
- High Level Synthesis Compiler
- Classifications
- CWE-427, CAPEC-471, T1574.001
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 12, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Dec 12, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=19.1 <=24.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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