Security Resilience

CVE-2023-6401

Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+ ≤ 8.1

Published
30 November 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
CVSS Score v3.1 5.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
EPSS Score 0.0033 25th percentile
Risk Priority 41 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-6401 is a medium-severity Uncontrolled Search Path Element (CWE-427) vulnerability in Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+. Its CVSS base score is 5.3 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception by Search Order Hijacking (T1574.008); ranked at the 25th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A08:2025 Software or Data Integrity Failures

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in NotePad++ up to 8.1. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file dbghelp.exe. The manipulation leads to uncontrolled search path. An attack has to be approached locally. The identifier…

more

VDB-246421 was assigned to this vulnerability. NOTE: The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way.

CWE(s)
CWE-427

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1574.008 Path Interception by Search Order Hijacking Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking the search order used to load other programs.
attack.mitre.org →
T1574.004 Dylib Hijacking Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own payloads by placing a malicious dynamic library (dylib) with an expected name in a path a victim application searches at runtime.
attack.mitre.org →
T1003.003 NTDS Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access or create a copy of the Active Directory domain database in order to steal credential information, as well as obtain other information about domain members such as devices, users, and access rights.
attack.mitre.org →
T1003.005 Cached Domain Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access cached domain credentials used to allow authentication to occur in the event a domain controller is unavailable.
attack.mitre.org →
T1003.006 DCSync Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access credentials and other sensitive information by abusing a Windows Domain Controller's application programming interface (API)(Citation: Microsoft DRSR Dec 2017) (Citation: Microsoft GetNCCChanges) (Citati…
attack.mitre.org →
T1007 System Service Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may try to gather information about registered local system services.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-47452Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+
CVE-2023-40031Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+
CVE-2023-40166Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+
CVE-2026-25926Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+
CVE-2026-46710Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+
CVE-2026-52885Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+
CVE-2026-48770Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+
CVE-2023-40036Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+
CVE-2023-40164Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+
CVE-2026-6539Same product: Notepad-Plus-Plus Notepad\+\+

Affected Assets

notepad-plus-plus
notepad\+\+
≤ 8.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 2 hardening rules · 1 OS baseline
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

—

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-01 partial match
blocks

Hardened configuration baselines can enforce safe search-path settings and reduce exposure.

PR.PS-05 partial match
blocks

Execution allow-listing can block malicious binaries placed in hijackable search locations.

PR.PS-06 partial match
blocks

Secure-development practices directly address design of search paths and resource loading.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.5.14 Information transfer partial match
removes
A.5.15 Access control partial match
removes
A.5.16 Identity management partial match
removes
A.5.17 Authentication information partial match
removes
A.5.18 Access rights partial match
removes
A.8.10 Information deletion partial match
removes

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (higher-evidence rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
  • V-248577 OL 8 must enable kernel parameters to enforce Discretionary Access Control (DAC) on symlinks. blocks CWE-427

References