# CVE-2025-9164: Multiple DLL Search Order Hijacking Vulnerabilities in Docker Desktop Installer for Windows

> Local attackers can escalate privileges by placing malicious DLLs in the Downloads folder, exploiting insecure search order in the Docker Desktop installer.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`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/S:P/AU:Y/R:U/V:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5p9c-72f9-f98q

## What is CVE-2025-9164?

CVE-2025-9164 is a high-severity vulnerability in Docker Desktop, published on 27 Oct 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-9164?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-9164?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-9164 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-9164 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-9164 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-9164 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-9164 is a high-severity vulnerability in Docker Desktop, published on 27 Oct 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-9164 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-2025-9164/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9164/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-9164
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-9164
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-9164

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9164/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.