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Incorrect Permission AssignmentWeakness · CWE-732

CVE-2025-14740

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Docker Desktop for Windows contains multiple incorrect permission assignment vulnerabilities in the installer's handling of the C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop directory. The installer creates this directory without proper ownership verification, creating two exploitation scenarios: Scenario 1 (Persistent Attack): If a low-privileged attacker pre-creates C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop before Docker Desktop installation, the attacker retains ownership of the directory even after the installer applies restrictive ACLs. At any time after installation completes, the attacker can modify the directory ACL (as the owner) and tamper with critical configuration files such as install-settings.json to specify a malicious credentialHelper, causing arbitrary code execution when any user runs Docker Desktop. Scenario 2 (TOCTOU Attack): During installation, there is a time-of-check-time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition between when the installer creates C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop and when it sets secure ACLs. A low-privileged attacker actively monitoring for the installation can inject malicious files (such as install-settings.json) with attacker-controlled ACLs during this window, achieving the same code execution outcome.

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 confidence

Docker Desktop for Windows installer fails to verify or take ownership of C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop before applying ACLs. Attackers can either pre-create this directory (retaining ownership) or win a TOCTOU race during installation to inject a malicious install-settings.json specifying an attacker-controlled credentialHelper, achieving arbitrary code execution when any user runs Docker Desktop.

MitigationThe installer must verify existing directory ownership and take ownership before setting ACLs, or ensure atomic directory creation with immediate secure ACL application. Organizations should audit existing Docker Desktop installations for unexpected ownership or configuration tampering.

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
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 Docker Desktop for Windows is installed
    Check for Docker Desktop installation by looking for C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\Docker Desktop.exe or querying the Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Docker Inc.\Docker\Docker Desktop
    Affected if This check only applies if Docker Desktop for Windows is installed on the system
  2. Inspect C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop directory ownership
    Run 'icacls C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop' or use PowerShell 'Get-Acl C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop | Select-Object Owner' to check if the directory owner is the SYSTEM account, Administrators group, or the installing user rather than an untrusted account
    Affected if The directory is owned by an untrusted user or group rather than SYSTEM, Administrators, or the expected installing user
  3. Check for install-settings.json file
    Examine C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop\install-settings.json for presence and contents, particularly the credentialHelper field
    Affected if The file exists and contains a credentialHelper path pointing to a location outside of C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources or an unexpected executable
  4. Verify credentialHelper ACLs and integrity
    If credentialHelper is configured in install-settings.json, verify the referenced binary exists, is signed by Docker, and has not been tampered with using 'Get-Acl' and file hash verification
    Affected if The configured credentialHelper binary is missing, unsigned, or has been modified from the expected Docker-provided binary

A user is affected if Docker Desktop for Windows is installed AND the C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop directory is owned by an untrusted account OR contains a tampered install-settings.json with an attacker-controlled credentialHelper path.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

The installer must verify existing directory ownership and take ownership before setting ACLs, or ensure atomic directory creation with immediate secure ACL application. Organizations should audit existing Docker Desktop installations for unexpected ownership or configuration tampering.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2025-14740 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

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