CVE-2025-56503
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 · uneditedAn issue in Sublime HQ Pty Ltd Sublime Text 4 4200 allows authenticated attackers with low-level privileges to escalate privileges to Administrator via replacing the uninstall file with a crafted binary in the installation folder. NOTE: this is disputed by the Supplier because replacing the uninstall file requires administrator permissions, i.e., there is no privilege escalation.
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 · low confidenceAuthenticated low-privilege users could potentially replace the uninstall executable in the Sublime Text 4 installation folder with a malicious binary to escalate privileges to Administrator. The vendor disputes this, arguing that replacing the uninstall file already requires administrator-level file system permissions, negating any actual privilege escalation vector.
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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Verify Sublime Text 4 is installedCheck for Sublime Text 4 installation directory (common paths: C:\Program Files\Sublime Text on Windows, /Applications/Sublime Text.app on macOS, ~/.local/share/sublime_text or /opt/sublime_text on Linux). Locate the executable (sublime_text.exe on Windows, sublime text on macOS/Linux) and note its version via file properties or 'sublime_text --version' if supported.Affected if Sublime Text 4 is installed and running.
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Locate the uninstall executableFind the uninstaller file within the Sublime Text installation folder. On Windows, typically look for 'uninstall.exe' or 'Uninstall Sublime Text' in the root or a dedicated Uninstaller folder. On macOS, look for 'Uninstall Sublime Text.app'. On Linux, check for 'uninstall.sh' or similar.Affected if An uninstall executable exists in the Sublime Text 4 installation directory.
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Inspect file permissions on the uninstallerOn Windows: Right-click the uninstaller file, go to Properties > Security, and examine the permissions for Users or authenticated users. On Linux/macOS: Run 'ls -la' or 'ls -l' on the uninstaller file to view owner and permissions (e.g., check for world-writable or group-writable flags).Affected if Low-privilege users (non-admin) have Write or Modify permissions on the uninstall executable.
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Verify low-privilege user write accessAs a non-administrator test account or using icacls on Windows (e.g., 'icacls uninstall.exe'), confirm whether the user account in question can delete, replace, or modify the uninstaller file.Affected if The low-privilege user account can write to or replace the uninstaller file.
If Sublime Text 4 is installed AND the uninstaller file is writable by low-privilege users, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 dataEnsure installation folders and uninstaller files have restrictive permissions preventing low-privilege users from modifying or replacing executables; follow principle of least privilege for file system access.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-56503 — 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-2025-56503 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data