# CVE-2025-15558: Docker Desktop Docker Plugins Uncontrolled Search Path Element Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

> CVE-2025-15558: Docker Desktop Docker Plugins Uncontrolled Search Path Element Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. CVSS 7.3 (CVSS 3.1).

Canonical: https://rewindex.com/cve/CVE-2025-15558
Last updated: 2026-07-15T02:17:22Z

- Published: 2026-03-04 16:14 UTC · Updated: 2026-07-15 02:17 UTC · Assigner: Docker
- CVSS: 7.3 (CVSS 3.1) · Severity: High · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS: 0.50%, 43th percentile (scored 2026-10-25)
- CISA KEV: no
- CWE: CWE-427

## Description

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 29.1.5 and Windows binaries acting as a CLI-plugin manager using the  github.com/docker/cli/cli-plugins/manager https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/docker/cli@v29.1.5+incompatible/cli-plugins/manager  package, such as Docker Compose. This issue does not impact non-Windows binaries, and projects not using the plugin-manager code.

## Affected vendors and products

- Docker: Compose
- Docker: Docker CLI
- Red Hat: Assisted Installer for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 2
- Red Hat: Gatekeeper 3
- Red Hat: Kernel Module Management Operator for Red Hat Openshift
- Red Hat: Multicluster Engine for Kubernetes
- Red Hat: Multicluster Global Hub
- Red Hat: Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2
- Red Hat: Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4
- Red Hat: Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI)
- Red Hat: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat: Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4

## Tracked companies

- [Docker](https://rewindex.com/company/docker.md)

## References

- [CVE record on cve.org](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-15558)
- [NVD entry](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-15558)
- [https://docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/)
- [https://github.com/docker/cli/pull/6713](https://github.com/docker/cli/pull/6713)
- [https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-CAN-28304/](https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-CAN-28304/)

---

_Sources: CVE records from the CVE Program (cve.org). CVE® is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. (https://www.cve.org/) This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. (https://nvd.nist.gov/) Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog from CISA. (https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog) EPSS scores from FIRST (Exploit Prediction Scoring System). (https://www.first.org/epss/)_


---
Canonical: https://rewindex.com/cve/CVE-2025-15558 · Markdown: https://rewindex.com/cve/CVE-2025-15558.md · JSON: https://rewindex.com/api/v1/cves/CVE-2025-15558 · Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · Generated 2026-10-26T03:10:56.192Z