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NVD / CVE Program· CNA VulnCheck

CVE-2025-15556: Notepad++ < 8.8.9 WinGUp Updater Lacks Update Integrity Verification

HighCVSS 7.7 · v4.0KEVWeaponized Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: This week (action score 61/100)

  • CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild (Feb 12, 2026). Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: Mar 5, 2026.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.7% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 78.1% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
  • Fixed version: notepad-plus-plus notepad-plus-plus 8.8.9.

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window. Upgrade to notepad-plus-plus notepad-plus-plus 8.8.9 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · CISA KEV · FIRST EPSS

Notepad++ versions prior to 8.8.9, when using the WinGUp updater, contain an update integrity verification vulnerability where downloaded update metadata and installers are not cryptographically verified. An attacker able to intercept or redirect update traffic can cause the updater to download and execute an attacker-controlled installer, resulting in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user.

Published
Feb 2, 2026
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
1.7% · 78th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

61

This week

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window.

CVSS
30 / 40 · 7.7 / 10
CISA KEV
30 / 30 · Listed
EPSS
1 / 30 · 1.7%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
active
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · VulnCheck
7.7
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Actively exploited in the wild

CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Feb 12, 2026. That signals real attacks, not theory.

Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: Mar 5, 2026.

Get told when this record changes

  • In CISA KEV: exploitation in the wild confirmed
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2025-15556

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
notepad-plus-plusnotepad\+\+

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (VulnCheck). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • notepad-plus-plus notepad-plus-plus

    • before 8.8.9affected · semver

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • notepad-plus-plus notepad++before 8.8.9

Same product

notepad-plus-plus: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-52884Notepad++: CVE-2026-48800 Bypass
    31Monitor
  • CVE-2026-48800Notepad++: Arbitrary Code Execution via shortcuts.xml UserCommand Injection
    31Monitor
  • CVE-2026-48778Notepad++: Arbitrary Code Execution via config.xml commandLineInterpreter
    31Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-6401Nov 30, 2023 · NotePad++ dbghelp.exe uncontrolled search path
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-47452Nov 30, 2023 · An Untrusted search path vulnerability in notepad++ 6.5 allows local users to gain escalated privileges through the msimg32.dll file in the…
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-25926Feb 18, 2026 · Notepad++ has an Untrusted Search Path
    29Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
notepad-plus-plus notepad-plus-plus8.8.9Vendor (CNA)

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×3

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub3 repositories2026-02-09 → 2026-11-12

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Published
  2. First PoC+6 d
  3. CISA KEV+9 d
  4. TodayNov 14, 2026+284 d

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.

If successful

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
None
User interaction
P
Scope
X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-494 · Download of Code Without Integrity Check

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/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-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

References

Show all references (6 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records