Potential Notepad++ CVE-2025-49144 Exploitation
Detects potential exploitation of CVE-2025-49144, a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Notepad++ installers (v8.8.1 and prior) where the installer calls regsvr32.exe without specifying the full path. This allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges by placing a malicious regsvr32.exe alongside this Legitimate Notepad++ installer. The vulnerability is triggered when the installer attempts to register the NppShell.dll file, which is a component of Notepad++.
Sigma rule (View on GitHub)
1title: Potential Notepad++ CVE-2025-49144 Exploitation
2id: 933f0bb5-0681-4fe7-8a17-4e6cccbaac44
3status: experimental
4description: |
5 Detects potential exploitation of CVE-2025-49144, a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Notepad++ installers (v8.8.1 and prior) where the installer calls regsvr32.exe without specifying the full path.
6 This allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges by placing a malicious regsvr32.exe alongside this Legitimate Notepad++ installer.
7 The vulnerability is triggered when the installer attempts to register the NppShell.dll file, which is a component of Notepad++.
8references:
9 - https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2025-49144
10 - https://x.com/NullSecurityX/status/1937444064867029179
11author: Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)
12date: 2025-06-26
13tags:
14 - attack.persistence
15 - attack.privilege-escalation
16 - attack.defense-evasion
17 - attack.t1574.008
18 - cve.2025-49144
19 - detection.emerging-threats
20logsource:
21 product: windows
22 category: process_creation
23detection:
24 selection:
25 Image|endswith: '\regsvr32.exe'
26 CommandLine|startswith: 'regsvr32 /s'
27 CommandLine|contains: '\contextMenu\NppShell.dll'
28 filter_main_legit_regsvr32:
29 Image:
30 - 'C:\Windows\System32\regsvr32.exe'
31 - 'C:\Windows\SysWOW64\regsvr32.exe'
32 condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_*
33falsepositives:
34 - Unknown
35level: high
References
Related rules
- APT27 - Emissary Panda Activity
- Commvault QLogin with PublicSharingUser and GUID Password (CVE-2025-57788)
- DLL Names Used By SVR For GraphicalProton Backdoor
- Diamond Sleet APT DLL Sideloading Indicators
- Exploiting SetupComplete.cmd CVE-2019-1378