CVE-2025-14605
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to hijack the search path used by Altera Quartus Prime Pro's System Console modules on Windows, potentially loading malicious DLLs. It affects all Windows users running Quartus Prime Pro versions 17.0 through 25.1.1. Attackers could execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Quartus Prime Pro process.
💻 Affected Systems
- Altera Quartus Prime Pro
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise via arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the Quartus Prime Pro process, potentially leading to data theft, system takeover, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution when a user runs Quartus Prime Pro with malicious DLLs placed in a searchable directory.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper file permissions restrict DLL placement and users run with minimal privileges.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access to place malicious DLLs in a directory that will be searched before legitimate ones.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 25.1.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.altera.com/security/security-advisory/asa-0004
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Quartus Prime Pro version 25.1.2 or later from Intel/Altera website. 2. Install the update following vendor instructions. 3. Restart the system to ensure all components are updated.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict DLL search paths
windowsUse Windows policies or application controls to restrict where Quartus Prime Pro can load DLLs from.
Use Windows AppLocker or similar to block DLL execution from untrusted directories
Run with minimal privileges
windowsEnsure Quartus Prime Pro runs with standard user privileges, not administrative rights.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor for suspicious DLL loads from unusual directories in Quartus Prime Pro processes
- Restrict file write permissions to directories in the DLL search path to prevent malicious DLL placement
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Quartus Prime Pro version in Help > About. If version is between 17.0 and 25.1.1 inclusive, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
In Quartus Prime Pro, navigate to Help > About Quartus PrimeVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Quartus Prime Pro version is 25.1.2 or later in Help > About.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing DLL loads from unusual directories for Quartus Prime Pro processes
- Process Monitor logs showing DLL search order hijacking
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local attack vector
SIEM Query:
Windows Event ID 4688 with process name containing 'quartus' and DLL loads from non-standard paths