CVE-2025-9164

Local privilege escalation via installer DLL hijacking

Published Oct 27, 2025 · Updated Oct 27, 2025

DLL search-order hijacking in Docker Desktop for Windows 4.48.0 and earlier allows local users to escalate privileges via a planted DLL. Docker Desktop Installer.exe searches the user's Downloads folder for required DLLs before protected system directories and loads an attacker-placed library from that location. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and control of a DLL in the Downloads folder; successful loading executes code with the installer's elevated privileges.

CVSS severity8.8
High
EPSS probability0.10%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

DLL search-order hijacking in Docker Desktop for Windows 4.48.0 and earlier allows local users to escalate privileges via a planted DLL. Docker Desktop Installer.exe searches the user's Downloads folder for required DLLs before protected system directories and loads an attacker-placed library from that location. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and control of a DLL in the Downloads folder; successful loading executes code with the installer's elevated privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-9164
Published
Oct 27, 2025
Updated
Oct 27, 2025
Vendor
Docker
Product
Docker Desktop
Classifications
CWE-427, CAPEC-159, CAPEC-640, CAPEC-471, CAPEC-38, T1574.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 27, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 27, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <=4.48.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Docker · Docker Desktopversion=0 <=4.48.0

Published CVSS scores

8.8Docker Inc.CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-427Uncontrolled Search Path Element
CAPEC-159Redirect Access to Libraries
CAPEC-640Inclusion of Code in Existing Process
CAPEC-471Search Order Hijacking
CAPEC-38Leveraging/Manipulating Configuration File Search Paths
T1574.001DLL Search Order Hijacking

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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