CVE-2025-10213
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedDLL search path hijacking vulnerability in the UPDF.exe executable for Windows version 1.8.5.0 allows attackers with local access to execute arbitrary code by placing a dxtn.dll file of their choice in the 'C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\' directory, which could lead to arbitrary code execution and persistence.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceDLL search path hijacking vulnerability in UPDF.exe version 1.8.5.0 allows local attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution by placing a malicious dxtn.dll file in the user-writable WindowsApps directory (C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\). The application loads this DLL without a fully qualified path, causing it to be found before legitimate system DLLs.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 1.8.5.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed UPDF versionOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or the UPDF application, right-click and select Properties, or right-click the UPDF.exe file and view Properties > Details to find the version numberAffected if Version displayed is exactly 1.8.5.0
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Locate the UPDF.exe binarySearch for UPDF.exe using File Explorer search or by running 'where /r C:\ UPDF.exe' in Command Prompt. Common paths include C:\Program Files\UPDF\ or C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Programs\UPDF\Affected if UPDF.exe exists on the system at any location
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Verify WindowsApps directory is user-writableOpen Command Prompt and run 'icacls "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps"' replacing <username> with your account nameAffected if Your user account has Write or Write+Delete permissions (D:(D,WDAC)) on this directory
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Check for suspicious dxtn.dll in WindowsAppsNavigate to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\ in File Explorer or run 'dir "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\dxtn.dll"'Affected if A dxtn.dll file exists in this directory (this file is not normally present in this location)
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Audit recent DLL loading behaviorUse Sysinternals Process Monitor (procmon.exe) with filter "Path contains dxtn.dll" while launching UPDF.exe, or check Windows Event Viewer Application logs for DLL load warningsAffected if UPDF.exe attempts to load dxtn.dll from the WindowsApps directory or any non-system path
You are affected if UPDF version 1.8.5.0 is installed AND the WindowsApps directory is writable (default) AND a dxtn.dll file exists in that directory.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataRestrict write permissions on the WindowsApps directory to prevent unauthorized DLL placement, conduct forensic analysis for existing malicious dxtn.dll files, and monitor for vendor patch release.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-10213 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-10213 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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