Is CVE-2025-15556 exploited in the wild?

Yes. CVE-2025-15556 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 12 February 2026. Treat it as urgent.

How severe is CVE-2025-15556?

Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 12 February 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

Notepad++ Notepad++ Prior to 8.8.9.

Is there a fix for CVE-2025-15556?

No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

How is CVE-2025-15556 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.

Am I affected by CVE-2025-15556?

Check whether you run Notepad++. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2025-15556: Notepad++ code execution via WinGUp updater integrity failure

CVE-2025-15556 · Severity: critical · CVSS 7.5 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2026-02-12

Notepad++, a widely used text and source code editor, contains a security flaw in its automatic update mechanism. An attacker who can intercept a user's internet traffic could trick the application into downloading and installing malicious software instead of a legitimate update. This could allow an attacker to take full control of the user's computer, and there are reports that this vulnerability has been exploited in the wild.

Technologies: Notepad++. Vendors: Notepad++.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2025-15556 exploited in the wild?: Yes. CVE-2025-15556 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 12 February 2026. Treat it as urgent.
How severe is CVE-2025-15556?: Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 12 February 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: Notepad++ Notepad++ Prior to 8.8.9.
Is there a fix for CVE-2025-15556?: No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2025-15556 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.
Am I affected by CVE-2025-15556?: Check whether you run Notepad++. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

Notepad++ versions prior to 8.8.9 utilize the WinGUp updater, which fails to perform cryptographic integrity verification on downloaded update metadata and installer binaries (CWE-494). An attacker positioned to perform a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack or DNS redirection can intercept the update request and serve a malicious payload. Because the updater does not validate digital signatures or hashes, it will execute the attacker-controlled installer with the privileges of the local user. This vulnerability has been added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating active exploitation. Users should update to version 8.8.9 or later to remediate the issue.

Affected products

Notepad++ Notepad++ Prior to 8.8.9

Timeline

2026-02-02: disclosed: Initial disclosure by VulnCheck
2026-02-12: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
2026-02-12: advisory: NVD publication date

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