CVE-2025-9164

Status: DeferredHigh (8.8)—

Docker Desktop Installer.exe is vulnerable to DLL hijacking due to insecure DLL search order. The installer searches for required DLLs in the user's Downloads folder before checking system directories, allowing local privilege escalation through malicious DLL placement.This issue affects Docker Desktop: through 4.48.0.

CVSS

Version: 4.0
Vector: 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/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:P/AU:Y/R:U/V:C/RE:X/U:X
Base score: 8.8

Exploitation probability (EPSS)

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.11%
Percentile among all scored CVEs: 1
Score date: 10/5/2026

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).

🎯 ATT&CK techniques

How this vulnerability is exploited and what the attacker gains, in MITRE ATT&CK terms.

ExploitationT1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalationprivilege escalation85 %
Primary impactT1574.007 Path Interception by PATH Environment Variablestealth · execution90 %
Secondary impactT1059 Command and Scripting Interpreterexecution75 %

Acceso local (AV:L) con interacción mínima (AT:P) y privilegios necesarios (PR:L). DLL hijacking (CWE-427) en el instalador permite escalada de privilegios mediante inyección de código malicioso en la búsqueda insegura de DLLs (T1574.007), facilitando ejecución de comandos (T1059).

Inferred by our analysis agent from the official description, CVSS vector and CWE, and checked by a supervisor. May contain errors.

🛡️ ATT&CK mitigations that cover these techniques

Execution Prevention Audit Threat Intelligence Program Restrict Web-Based Content Restrict File and Directory Permissions Privileged Account Management

Affected technologies (1)

⚠ AI-inferred from the description — NVD hasn't analyzed this CVE yet, these aren't verified CPEs.

Docker — Desktop^AI

CWEs

CWE-427

References

https://docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/

Raw JSON (NVD)

Show

{
  "id": "CVE-2025-9164",
  "cveTags": [],
  "metrics": {
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          "options": [
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            },
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              "technicalImpact": "total"
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          "version": "2.0.3",
          "timestamp": "2025-10-28T03:56:03.322080Z"
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          "vulnerabilityResponseEffort": "NOT_DEFINED",
          "modifiedSubAvailabilityImpact": "NOT_DEFINED",
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      "affectedData": [
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          "versions": [
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              "version": "0",
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          "platforms": [
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  "published": "2025-10-27T14:15:42.797",
  "references": [
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      "value": "Docker Desktop Installer.exe is vulnerable to DLL hijacking due to insecure DLL search order. The installer searches for required DLLs in the user's Downloads folder before checking system directories, allowing local privilege escalation through malicious DLL placement.This issue affects Docker Desktop: through 4.48.0."
    }
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  "lastModified": "2026-06-17T10:08:27.050",
  "sourceIdentifier": "security@docker.com"
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