CVE-2025-15558
Docker CLI Plugins: Uncontrolled Search Path Element Leads to Local Privilege Escalation on Windows
Impact
This issue affects Docker CLI through 29.1.5 ### Impact Docker CLI for Windows searches for plugin binaries in `C:\ProgramData\Docker\cli-plugins`, a directory that does not exist by default. A low-privileged attacker can create this directory and place malicious CLI plugin binaries (docker-compose.exe, docker-buildx.exe, etc.) that are executed when a victim user opens Docker Desktop or invokes Docker CLI plugin features, and allow privilege-escalation if the `docker` CLI is executed as a privileged user. This issue affects Docker CLI through v29.1.5 (fixed in v29.2.0). It impacts Windows binaries acting as a CLI plugin manager via the [`github.com/docker/cli/cli-plugins/manager`](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/docker/cli@v29.1.5+incompatible/cli-plugins/manager) package, which is consumed by downstream projects such as Docker Compose. Docker Compose became affected starting in v2.31.0, when it incorporated the relevant CLI plugin manager code (see https://github.com/docker/compose/pull/12300), and is fixed in v5.1.0. This issue does not impact non-Windows binaries or projects that do not use the plugin manager code. ### Patches Fixed version starts with 29.2.0 This issue was fixed in https://github.com/docker/cli/commit/13759330b1f7e7cb0d67047ea42c5482548ba7fa (https://github.com/docker/cli/pull/6713), which removed `%PROGRAMDATA%\Docker\cli-plugins` from the list of paths used for plugin-discovery on Windows. ### Workarounds None ### Resources - Pull request: "cli-plugins/manager: remove legacy system-wide cli-plugin path" (https://github.com/docker/cli/pull/6713) - Patch: https://github.com/docker/cli/commit/13759330b1f7e7cb0d67047ea42c5482548ba7fa.patch ### Credits Nitesh Surana (niteshsurana.com) of Trend Research of TrendAI
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| go | github.com/docker/cli | >= 19.03.0, < 29.2.0 | 29.2.0 |
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions |
|---|---|---|
| Docker | Command Line Interface | through 29.1.5 |
Weakness classification
References
- NVD record
- CVE.org record
- GitHub advisory
- https://docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/
- https://github.com/docker/cli/pull/6713
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-CAN-28304/
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-15558
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2444574
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2025/cve-2025-15558.json
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-p436-gjf2-799p
- https://github.com/docker/cli/security/advisories/GHSA-p436-gjf2-799p
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-15558
- https://github.com/docker/compose/pull/12300
- https://github.com/docker/cli/commit/13759330b1f7e7cb0d67047ea42c5482548ba7fa
- https://docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-CAN-28304