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Uncontrolled Search Path (DLL Hijack)Weakness · CWE-427

CVE-2025-23358

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High

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
NVIDIA NVApp for Windows contains a vulnerability in the installer, where a local attacker can cause a search path element issue. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to code execution and escalation of privileges.

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

NVIDIA NVApp for Windows installer contains a search path element vulnerability that allows a local attacker to perform DLL search order hijacking or binary planting. By placing a malicious executable or DLL in a location the installer searches during load, an attacker can achieve code execution with elevated privileges granted to the installer process.

MitigationOrganizations should ensure NVIDIA NVApp is downloaded only from official NVIDIA sources with verification of digital signatures. Implement application whitelisting and restrict write access to directories in the installer's search path. Apply vendor patches when released.

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
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/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. Check if NVIDIA NVApp is installed
    Open Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\ for an NVApp folder, or search for 'nvapp' in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
    Affected if NVIDIA NVApp appears in installed programs or exists in the NVIDIA program directory
  2. Identify installed NVApp version
    Right-click the NVIDIA NVApp entry in Programs and Features and select Properties, or check the version string in the uninstall registry key at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{NVAppProductID}
    Affected if The version matches any affected version listed by NVIDIA for CVE-2025-23358 (compare against vendor advisories)
  3. Inspect installer search paths for unauthorized files
    Manually examine the NVIDIA NVApp install directory (typically C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\NVApp\) and subdirectories for unexpected .exe or .dll files, especially those with recent modification dates or lacking proper digital signatures
    Affected if Unsigned or suspicious executables/DLLs are present in the NVApp installation directory or subdirectories
  4. Check directory permissions on NVApp install location
    Right-click the NVApp installation folder, select Properties > Security, and review which users have Write or Modify permissions. Use 'icacls C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\NVApp' from an elevated command prompt
    Affected if Non-admin users or unexpected accounts have Write or Modify permissions to the installation directory or its subdirectories
  5. Review startup and scheduled tasks for NVApp components
    Open Task Scheduler and check under Task Scheduler Library for NVIDIA NVApp tasks, or run 'msconfig' and review Startup items for NVApp entries
    Affected if Unexpected NVIDIA NVApp components are configured to run at startup with elevated privileges

If NVIDIA NVApp is installed and any unsigned files exist in its directory, or if write permissions are granted to non-admin users in the install path, the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2025-23358 DLL hijacking.

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

Organizations should ensure NVIDIA NVApp is downloaded only from official NVIDIA sources with verification of digital signatures. Implement application whitelisting and restrict write access to directories in the installer's search path. Apply vendor patches when released.

Have this fixed 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-2025-23358 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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