# CVE-2025-14740: Docker Desktop for Windows Incorrect Permission Assignment Privilege Escalation Vulnerabilities

> Low-privileged attackers can escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code by exploiting insecure directory permissions in Docker Desktop for Windows.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 4 Feb 2026
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wqrh-gcr7-7hj3

## What is CVE-2025-14740?

CVE-2025-14740 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Docker Desktop, published on 4 Feb 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Docker Desktop for Windows contains multiple incorrect permission assignment vulnerabilities in the installer's handling of the C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop directory. The installer creates this directory without proper ownership verification, creating two exploitation scenarios:

Scenario 1 (Persistent Attack):
If a low-privileged attacker pre-creates C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop before Docker Desktop installation, the attacker retains ownership of the directory even after the installer applies restrictive ACLs. At any time after installation completes, the attacker can modify the directory ACL (as the owner) and tamper with critical configuration files such as install-settings.json to specify a malicious credentialHelper, causing arbitrary code execution when any user runs Docker Desktop.

Scenario 2 (TOCTOU Attack):
During installation, there is a time-of-check-time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition between when the installer creates C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop and when it sets secure ACLs. A low-privileged attacker actively monitoring for the installation can inject malicious files (such as install-settings.json) with attacker-controlled ACLs during this window, achieving the same code execution outcome.

Weakness: CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-14740?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-14740?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-14740 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-14740 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-14740 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-14740 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-14740 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Docker Desktop, published on 4 Feb 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-14740 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Docker Desktop. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14740/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14740/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-14740
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-14740
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-14740

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14740/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.