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

CVE-2025-71178

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v4.0 Published 2026-01-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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
Crucial Storage Executive installer versions prior to 11.08.082025.00 contain a DLL preloading vulnerability. During installation, the installer runs with elevated privileges and loads Windows DLLs using an uncontrolled search path, which can cause a malicious DLL placed alongside the installer to be loaded instead of the intended system library. A local attacker who can convince a victim to run the installer from a directory containing the attacker-supplied DLL can achieve arbitrary code execution with administrator 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 · high confidence

The Crucial Storage Executive installer versions before 11.08.082025.00 are vulnerable to DLL preloading. The installer runs with elevated (administrator) privileges and uses an uncontrolled search path when loading Windows DLLs, allowing a local attacker to place a malicious DLL in the same directory as the installer to achieve arbitrary code execution with administrator privileges.

MitigationUpdate Crucial Storage Executive to version 11.08.082025.00 or later. Users should download installers only from official vendor sources and verify file integrity before execution.

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
None
Authentication
X
User interaction
A
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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. Locate Crucial Storage Executive installer
    Search for the installer file on the system. Common filenames include 'CrucialStorageExecutive.exe' or similar patterns. Check the Downloads folder, Desktop, or any designated installer storage locations. If the software is already installed, locate the executable in Program Files or the installation directory.
    Affected if The installer file is found on the system
  2. Obtain the installer or software version
    Right-click the installer executable and select Properties, then view the Details tab for File Version or Product Version. If the software is installed, open Crucial Storage Executive and navigate to Help or About to view the version number.
    Affected if A version number can be retrieved from the installer or installed application
  3. Compare version against vulnerable threshold
    Compare the obtained version to 11.08.082025.00. The vulnerable range includes any version number that is lexicographically or numerically lower than 11.08.082025.00.
    Affected if The version is earlier than 11.08.082025.00 (for example, 11.07.x, 11.06.x, or older)
  4. Check directory placement of installer
    Identify the folder where the installer executable is stored. Verify if that folder is in a location writable by other users (such as a sharedDownloads folder, network share, or user-accessible directory).
    Affected if The installer resides in a directory where unprivileged users have write access, allowing them to place a malicious DLL

You are affected if you have a Crucial Storage Executive installer or installation with a version number lower than 11.08.082025.00, particularly if the installer is stored in a directory writable by other local users.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Crucial Storage Executive to version 11.08.082025.00 or later. Users should download installers only from official vendor sources and verify file integrity before execution.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Crucial Storage Executive version 11.08.082025.00 or later

  1. Navigate to the official Crucial support website (crucial.com) or the download page for Crucial Storage Executive
  2. Locate and download Crucial Storage Executive version 11.08.082025.00 or later
  3. If a previous version is installed, uninstall it through Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features
  4. Run the downloaded installer from a trusted directory (e.g., user Downloads folder)
  5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. Verify the installed version matches the expected fixed version by opening Crucial Storage Executive and checking About/Version info

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-71178 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • 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