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.

The version of Docker Desktop for Windows installed on the remote host is 4.34.x < 4.64.0. It is, therefore, affected by a privilege escalation vulnerability.

  - 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, allowing privilege escalation if the     docker CLI is executed as a privileged user.

Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

There are packages installed that are affected by a vulnerability referenced in the following CVE:

  - 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.
    (CVE-2025-15558)

ID	Name	Product	Family	Severity
301978	Docker Desktop < 4.64.0 CLI Plugin Directory Privilege Escalation (CVE-2025-15558)	Nessus	Misc.	high
438406	SCA: security update for github.com/docker/cli (GHSA-p436-gjf2-799p)	Tenable Cloud Security	SCA Checks	high
438406	SCA: security update for github.com/docker/cli (GHSA-p436-gjf2-799p)	Tenable Self-Hosted Container Security	SCA Checks	high

Detections

Analytics

CVE-2025-15558

high

Tenable Plugins

high

high

high