@@ -277,11 +277,23 @@ plugin_init_item(struct plugin *p, const struct plugin_option *o)

 #else  /* ifndef _WIN32 */

-    rel = !platform_absolute_pathname(p->so_pathname);

-    p->module = LoadLibraryW(wide_string(p->so_pathname, &gc));

+    WCHAR *wpath = wide_string(p->so_pathname, &gc);

+    WCHAR normalized_plugin_path[MAX_PATH] = {0};

+    /* Normalize the plugin path, converting any relative paths to absolute paths. */

+    if (!GetFullPathNameW(wpath, MAX_PATH, normalized_plugin_path, NULL))

+    {

+        msg(M_ERR, "PLUGIN_INIT: could not load plugin DLL: %ls. Failed to normalize plugin path.", wpath);

+    }

+

+    if (!plugin_in_trusted_dir(normalized_plugin_path))

+    {

+        msg(M_FATAL, "PLUGIN_INIT: could not load plugin DLL: %ls. The DLL is not in a trusted directory.", normalized_plugin_path);

+    }

+

+    p->module = LoadLibraryW(normalized_plugin_path);

     if (!p->module)

     {

-        msg(M_ERR, "PLUGIN_INIT: could not load plugin DLL: %s", p->so_pathname);

+        msg(M_ERR, "PLUGIN_INIT: could not load plugin DLL: %ls", normalized_plugin_path);

     }

 #define PLUGIN_SYM(var, name, flags) dll_resolve_symbol(p->module, (void *)&p->var, name, p->so_pathname, flags)

@@ -1497,27 +1497,24 @@ openvpn_swprintf(wchar_t *const str, const size_t size, const wchar_t *const for

     return (len >= 0 && len < size);

 }

-static BOOL

-get_install_path(WCHAR *path, DWORD size)

+bool

+get_openvpn_reg_value(const WCHAR *key, WCHAR *value, DWORD size)

 {

     WCHAR reg_path[256];

-    HKEY key;

-    BOOL res = FALSE;

+    HKEY hkey;

     openvpn_swprintf(reg_path, _countof(reg_path), L"SOFTWARE\\" PACKAGE_NAME);

-    LONG status = RegOpenKeyExW(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, reg_path, 0, KEY_READ, &key);

+    LONG status = RegOpenKeyExW(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, reg_path, 0, KEY_READ, &hkey);

     if (status != ERROR_SUCCESS)

     {

-        return res;

+        return false;

     }

-    /* The default value of REG_KEY is the install path */

-    status = RegGetValueW(key, NULL, NULL, RRF_RT_REG_SZ, NULL, (LPBYTE)path, &size);

-    res = status == ERROR_SUCCESS;

+    status = RegGetValueW(hkey, NULL, key, RRF_RT_REG_SZ, NULL, (LPBYTE)value, &size);

-    RegCloseKey(key);

+    RegCloseKey(hkey);

-    return res;

+    return status == ERROR_SUCCESS;

 }

 static void

@@ -1526,7 +1523,7 @@ set_openssl_env_vars()

     const WCHAR *ssl_fallback_dir = L"C:\\Windows\\System32";

     WCHAR install_path[MAX_PATH] = { 0 };

-    if (!get_install_path(install_path, _countof(install_path)))

+    if (!get_openvpn_reg_value(NULL, install_path, _countof(install_path)))

     {

         /* if we cannot find installation path from the registry,

          * use Windows directory as a fallback

@@ -1605,4 +1602,60 @@ win32_sleep(const int n)

         }

     }

 }

+

+bool

+plugin_in_trusted_dir(const WCHAR *plugin_path)

+{

+    /* UNC paths are not allowed */

+    if (wcsncmp(plugin_path, L"\\\\", 2) == 0)

+    {

+        msg(M_WARN, "UNC paths for plugins are not allowed.");

+        return false;

+    }

+

+    WCHAR plugin_dir[MAX_PATH] = { 0 };

+

+    /* Attempt to retrieve the trusted plugin directory path from the registry,

+     * using installation path as a fallback */

+    if (!get_openvpn_reg_value(L"plugin_dir", plugin_dir, _countof(plugin_dir))

+        && !get_openvpn_reg_value(NULL, plugin_dir, _countof(plugin_dir)))

+    {

+        msg(M_WARN, "Installation path could not be determined.");

+    }

+

+    /* Get the system directory */

+    WCHAR system_dir[MAX_PATH] = { 0 };

+    if (GetSystemDirectoryW(system_dir, _countof(system_dir)) == 0)

+    {

+        msg(M_NONFATAL | M_ERRNO, "Failed to get system directory.");

+    }

+

+    if ((wcslen(plugin_dir) == 0) && (wcslen(system_dir) == 0))

+    {

+        return false;

+    }

+

+    WCHAR normalized_plugin_dir[MAX_PATH] = { 0 };

+

+    /* Normalize the plugin dir */

+    if (wcslen(plugin_dir) > 0)

+    {

+        if (!GetFullPathNameW(plugin_dir, MAX_PATH, normalized_plugin_dir, NULL))

+        {

+            msg(M_NONFATAL | M_ERRNO, "Failed to normalize plugin dir.");

+            return false;

+        }

+    }

+

+    /* Check if the plugin path resides within the plugin/install directory */

+    if ((wcslen(normalized_plugin_dir) > 0) && (wcsnicmp(normalized_plugin_dir,

+                                                         plugin_path, wcslen(normalized_plugin_dir)) == 0))

+    {

+        return true;

+    }

+

+    /* Fallback to the system directory */

+    return wcsnicmp(system_dir, plugin_path, wcslen(system_dir)) == 0;

+}

+

 #endif /* ifdef _WIN32 */

@@ -330,5 +330,32 @@ openvpn_swprintf(wchar_t *const str, const size_t size, const wchar_t *const for

 /* Sleep that can be interrupted by signals and exit event */

 void win32_sleep(const int n);

+/**

+ * @brief Fetches a registry value for OpenVPN registry key.

+ *

+ * @param key Registry value name to fetch.

+ * @param value Buffer to store the fetched string value.

+ * @param size Size of `value` buffer in bytes.

+ * @return `true` if successful, `false` otherwise.

+ */

+bool

+get_openvpn_reg_value(const WCHAR *key, WCHAR *value, DWORD size);

+

+/**

+ * @brief Checks if a plugin is located in a trusted directory.

+ *

+ * Verifies the plugin's path against a trusted directory, which is:

+ *

+ * - "plugin_dir" registry value or installation path, if the registry key is missing

+ * - system directory

+ *

+ * UNC paths are explicitly disallowed.

+ *

+ * @param plugin_path Normalized path to the plugin.

+ * @return \c true if the plugin is in a trusted directory and not a UNC path; \c false otherwise.

+ */

+bool

+plugin_in_trusted_dir(const WCHAR *plugin_path);

+

 #endif /* ifndef OPENVPN_WIN32_H */

 #endif /* ifdef _WIN32 */