CVE-2025-11772
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 · uneditedA carefully crafted DLL, copied to C:\ProgramData\Synaptics folder, allows a local user to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges during driver installation.
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 · moderate confidenceThis is a DLL preloading/hijacking vulnerability in Synaptics driver installation. A local user can place a malicious DLL in C:\ProgramData\Synaptics, which gets loaded with elevated privileges during driver installation, allowing arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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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Check if Synaptics directory existsOpen File Explorer or run `dir C:\ProgramData\Synaptics` in command prompt to verify if the C:\ProgramData\Synaptics folder exists on the system.Affected if The directory exists and is writable by non-admin users, indicating the vulnerability may be present.
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Verify directory permissionsRight-click the C:\ProgramData\Synaptics folder, go to Properties > Security, and check which users have Write or Modify permissions. Alternatively, run `icacls C:\ProgramData\Synaptics` to list permission entries.Affected if Standard users or the Everyone group have Write or Modify permissions on this folder, allowing untrusted DLL placement.
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Inspect DLL files in the directoryList all .dll files in C:\ProgramData\Synaptics using `dir C:\ProgramData\Synaptics\*.dll`. Examine any DLLs that are not expected Synaptics driver components or appear suspicious.Affected if Unexpected or unsigned DLL files are present in the folder, indicating potential malicious DLL placement.
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Check for Synaptics driver installationOpen Device Manager, look for Synaptics pointing device, touchpad, or Synaptics USB driver under Human Interface Devices. Alternatively, check registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Synaptics for installed driver information.Affected if Synaptics drivers are installed on the system, meaning the DLL loading vulnerability could be triggered during driver updates or reinstallation.
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Audit recent driver installation activityReview Windows Event Viewer logs under Windows Logs > Setup or Application for recent Synaptics driver installation events. Check for any signs of DLL loading from C:\ProgramData\Synaptics.Affected if Recent driver installations loaded DLLs from the ProgramData\Synaptics folder without full path specification.
If standard users can write to C:\ProgramData\Synaptics and Synaptics drivers are installed, the system is vulnerable to DLL hijacking and arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM.
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 dataImplement secure DLL loading by specifying full paths for all DLLs and/or implementing DLL signing verification. Remove or restrict permissions on the C:\ProgramData\Synaptics folder to prevent untrusted DLL placement.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-11772 — 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-2025-11772 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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