CVE-2025-14596: Altera Quartus Prime Pro Path Hijacking

CVE-2025-14596 Overview

CVE-2025-14596 is an Uncontrolled Search Path Element vulnerability (CWE-427) affecting the Altera Quartus Prime Pro Installer (SFX) on Windows systems. This vulnerability enables Search Order Hijacking attacks, where an attacker can potentially execute malicious code by placing a crafted DLL in a location that gets searched before the legitimate system directories during the installer's execution.

Critical Impact

Local attackers with low privileges can potentially achieve high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability through DLL hijacking during the Quartus Prime Pro installation process.

Affected Products

• Altera Quartus Prime Pro versions 24.1 through 24.3.1
• Windows-based installations using the SFX installer package

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-07 - CVE-2025-14596 published to NVD
• 2026-01-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-14596

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability exists due to improper handling of the DLL search path in the Altera Quartus Prime Pro self-extracting installer (SFX) on Windows. When the installer executes, it searches for required DLLs in a predictable sequence of directories. If an attacker can place a malicious DLL in a directory that is searched before the legitimate system directories (such as the current working directory or the user's PATH), the installer will load and execute the attacker's code with the privileges of the user running the installation.

The attack requires local access and user interaction (the victim must run the installer), but successful exploitation can lead to complete compromise of the system's confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where FPGA development tools like Quartus Prime Pro are deployed across multiple engineering workstations.

Root Cause

The root cause is the installer's failure to properly control or restrict the search path used when loading dynamic-link libraries (DLLs). Windows applications that do not explicitly specify full paths for DLLs or that do not use secure DLL loading practices are vulnerable to search order hijacking. The Quartus Prime Pro SFX installer does not implement adequate safeguards to prevent loading DLLs from untrusted locations.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to either have existing access to the target system or the ability to influence files in directories within the DLL search path. A typical attack scenario involves:

1. An attacker places a malicious DLL with a name matching a legitimate DLL expected by the installer in a location such as the user's Downloads folder or a network share
2. The victim downloads and runs the Quartus Prime Pro installer from the same directory
3. The installer loads the malicious DLL instead of the legitimate system DLL
4. The attacker's code executes with the victim's privileges, potentially escalating to administrator privileges if the installer is run with elevated permissions

The vulnerability requires specific conditions to be met: the attacker must have write access to a directory in the search path, and the victim must execute the installer from or with access to that directory. This combination of requirements is reflected in the attack complexity and privilege requirements.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-14596

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected DLL files in user-writable directories where the Quartus Prime Pro installer is located
• DLL files with names matching common Windows system libraries appearing in non-standard locations (e.g., Downloads folder, temp directories)
• Process creation events showing the Quartus installer loading DLLs from unexpected paths
• Unusual child processes spawned by the Quartus Prime Pro installer executable

Detection Strategies

• Monitor file system activity for DLL creation in directories commonly used for downloads or temporary files
• Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized DLLs
• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect DLL side-loading attempts
• Configure Windows Event Logging to capture DLL load events (Event ID 7 in Sysmon)

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Sysmon or similar tools to log ImageLoad events for installer processes
• Monitor for DLL loads from user-writable directories during software installation activities
• Implement file integrity monitoring on directories used for software installation
• Review security logs for any anomalous process behavior during Quartus Prime Pro deployments

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-14596

Immediate Actions Required

• Download the Quartus Prime Pro installer to a clean, dedicated directory with restricted write permissions
• Verify the installer's digital signature before execution
• Run the installer from a directory that does not contain any untrusted files
• Consider running the installer in an isolated environment or virtual machine for initial testing

Patch Information

Altera has released a security advisory addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should upgrade to a patched version of Quartus Prime Pro when available. Refer to the Altera Security Advisory ASA-0004 for specific patch information and updated installer versions.

Workarounds

• Create a dedicated installation directory with restricted write permissions (only administrators can write)
• Clear the user's PATH environment variable of any user-writable directories before running the installer
• Use application control policies to block DLL execution from untrusted locations
• Deploy the installer via enterprise software deployment tools that enforce secure installation paths

# Create a secure installation directory and run the installer from there
mkdir C:\SecureInstall
icacls C:\SecureInstall /inheritance:r /grant:r Administrators:F /grant:r SYSTEM:F
# Move the installer to the secure directory
move "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\QuartusPrimeProSetup.exe" C:\SecureInstall\
# Run the installer from the secure location
cd C:\SecureInstall
QuartusPrimeProSetup.exe