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High Level Synthesis CompilerApplication · Intel

CVE-2025-13669

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 24.3 or later.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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 · unedited
Uncontrolled Search Path Element vulnerability in Altera High Level Synthesis Compiler on Windows allows Search Order Hijacking.This issue affects High Level Synthesis Compiler: from 19.1 through 24.3.

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 confidence

Uncontrolled Search Path Element vulnerability (CWE-427) in Altera High Level Synthesis Compiler on Windows allows Search Order Hijacking. The compiler searches for files (likely DLLs) in an insecure order, potentially loading malicious code from writable directories before checking intended secure locations. Affects versions 19.1 through 24.3.

MitigationReview and harden the PATH environment variable and working directories to ensure only trusted, non-writable paths are searched; launch compiler from controlled directories and verify no attacker-controlled paths precede legitimate ones.

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
High Level Synthesis CompilerApplication
Affected:>= 19.1, <= 24.3

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
Local
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Intel HLS Compiler installation and version
    Open a command prompt and run 'quartus_hls --version' or look for the compiler in C:\intel\hls\, then check the version number against the 19.1 to 24.3 range
    Affected if The compiler is installed and version falls between 19.1 and 24.3 inclusive
  2. Inspect PATH environment variable
    Run 'echo %PATH%' in command prompt and review all directories listed, noting their write permissions and order
    Affected if Writable directories (such as user home folders, temp directories, or project folders) appear before the Intel compiler installation directory in PATH
  3. Verify working directory permissions
    Check the directory from which you launch the HLS compiler using 'cd' command and verify if it is writable by other users
    Affected if The working directory is writable by untrusted users or resides in a shared/network location
  4. Check for DLL hijacking opportunities
    Use 'where <dllname>' or Process Monitor to observe which DLLs the compiler attempts to load and from which locations during compilation
    Affected if The compiler loads DLLs from writable directories earlier in the search order than from the secure Intel installation folder

A system is affected if Intel HLS Compiler version 19.1-24.3 is installed and the PATH or working directory contains writable locations that are searched before the compiler's secure installation directory.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 24.3
Interim mitigation

Review and harden the PATH environment variable and working directories to ensure only trusted, non-writable paths are searched; launch compiler from controlled directories and verify no attacker-controlled paths precede legitimate ones.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Quartus Prime HLS Compiler version 24.4 or later (contact Intel/Altera for exact fixed release)

  1. Contact Intel/Altera customer support or visit the official altera.com download page to obtain the latest version of the Quartus Prime High Level Synthesis Compiler
  2. Before upgrading, review the release notes for version 24.4 or later for security updates and DLL hijack remediation details
  3. Download and install the latest Quartus Prime software version containing the HLS Compiler fix
  4. After upgrading, verify that the installation directory does not contain untrusted DLL files in locations that could be loaded before system directories
Caveat Review Quartus Prime 24.4 release notes for any toolflow or compatibility changes before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in High Level Synthesis Compiler Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-13669 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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