CVE DATABASE / CVE-2025-15556
CVE-2025-15556
Notepad++ Download of Code Without Integrity Check Vulnerability
Confirmed exploited in the wild. Added 2026-02-12.
Federal remediation due 2026-03-05.
Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Summary
Notepad++ versions prior to 8.8.9, when using the WinGUp updater, contain an update integrity verification vulnerability where downloaded update metadata and installers are not cryptographically verified. An attacker able to intercept or redirect update traffic can cause the updater to download and execute an attacker-controlled installer, resulting in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user.
CVSS 3.1 breakdown
| Base score | 7.5 (HIGH) |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Attack vector | NETWORK |
| Attack complexity | HIGH |
| Privileges required | NONE |
| User interaction | REQUIRED |
| Scope | UNCHANGED |
| Confidentiality | HIGH |
| Integrity | HIGH |
| Availability | HIGH |
Weakness type (CWE)
Affected products
Use our free CVE Lookup tool for the latest NVD record, or browse the full CISA KEV catalog.
References
- https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/27298/notepad-v8-8-9-vulnerability-fix
- https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/bcf2aa68ef414338d717e20e059459570ed6c5ab
- https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/wingup/commit/ce0037549995ed0396cc363544d14b3425614fdb
- https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/hijacked-incident-info-update/
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/notepad-plus-plus-wingup-updater-lacks-update-integrity-verification
- https://notepad-plus-plus.org//news//clarification-security-incident/
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-15556
Data: NIST NVD + CISA KEV. NVD last modified 2026-02-13. Always verify against the vendor advisory before acting.