CVE-2025-15558

Description

Docker CLI for Windows searches for plugin binaries in C:\ProgramData\Docker\cli-plugins, a directory that does not exist by default. A low-privileged attacker can create this directory and place malicious CLI plugin binaries (docker-compose.exe, docker-buildx.exe, etc.) that are executed when a victim user opens Docker Desktop or invokes Docker CLI plugin features, and allow privilege-escalation if the docker CLI is executed as a privileged user. This issue affects Docker CLI: through 29.1.5 and Windows binaries acting as a CLI-plugin manager using the github.com/docker/cli/cli-plugins/manager https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/docker/cli@v29.1.5+incompatible/cli-plugins/manager package, such as Docker Compose. This issue does not impact non-Windows binaries, and projects not using the plugin-manager code.

PUBLISHED Reserved 2026-02-03 | Published 2026-03-04 | Updated 2026-03-05 | Assigner Docker

Problem types

CWE-427 Uncontrolled Search Path Element

Product status

Credits

Nitesh Surana (niteshsurana.com) of Trend Research of TrendAI finder

References

docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/

www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-CAN-28304/ third-party-advisory

github.com/docker/cli/pull/6713 patch

cve.org (CVE-2025-15558)

nvd.nist.gov (CVE-2025-15558)

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