Elevation of Privilege in Docker Desktop for Windows during Upgrade due to Insecure Directory Deletion (Docker Docker Desktop)
At a glance
- Source
- NVD
- EPSS
- EPSS 0.25 % · percentile 16 ()
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Published
- Updated
- Assigner
- Docker
- NVD status
- Analyzed
Description
A vulnerability in the update process of Docker Desktop for Windows versions prior to 4.41.0 could allow a local, low-privileged attacker to escalate privileges to SYSTEM. During an update, Docker Desktop attempts to delete files and subdirectories under the path C:\ProgramData\Docker\config with high privileges. However, this directory often does not exist by default, and C:\ProgramData\ allows normal users to create new directories. By creating a malicious Docker\config folder structure at this location, an attacker can force the privileged update process to delete or manipulate arbitrary system files, leading to Elevation of Privilege.
Weaknesses (CWE)
References
Scores
| Version | Score | Vector | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | HIGH 7.3 | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H | Docker |
| CVSS 4.0 | HIGH 7.3 | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/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:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X | NVD · security@docker.com (Secondary) |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | NVD · nvd@nist.gov (Primary) |
European references
- ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2025-14218
- GCVE · GCVE-0-2025-3224
Affected configurations (NVD CPE)
cpe:2.3:a:docker:desktop:*:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*< 4.41.0
Affected products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| Docker · Docker Desktop | affected 0 < 4.41.0 |
Sources
| Source | Licence |
|---|---|
| CVE List (CVEProject cvelistV5) | CVE Program Terms of Use |
| EPSS (FIRST.org) | FIRST — attribution requested |
| ENISA EUVD | ENISA — reproduction authorised, source acknowledged |
| NVD (NIST) via fkie-cad/nvd-json-data-feeds | Public domain — this product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD |