CVE-2026-25931
HIGHCVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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2Tags
Description
vscode-spell-checker is a basic spell checker that works well with code and documents. Prior to v4.5.4, DocumentSettings._determineIsTrusted treats the configuration value cSpell.trustedWorkspace as the authoritative trust flag. The value defaults to true (package.json) and is read from workspace configuration each time settings are fetched. The code coerces any truthy value to true and forwards it to ConfigLoader.setIsTrusted , which in turn allows JavaScript/TypeScript configuration files ( .cspell.config.js/.mjs/.ts , etc.) to be located and executed. Because no VS Code workspace-trust state is consulted, an untrusted workspace can keep the flag true and place a malicious .cspell.config.js ; opening the workspace causes the extension host to execute attacker-controlled Node.js code with the user’s privileges. This vulnerability is fixed in v4.5.4.
Analysis
Arbitrary code execution in vscode-spell-checker prior to v4.5.4 allows attackers to execute malicious Node.js code by placing a crafted .cspell.config.js file in an untrusted workspace, since the extension fails to validate VS Code's workspace-trust state before loading configuration files. An attacker can exploit this by tricking users into opening a malicious workspace, resulting in code execution with the privileges of the extension host process.
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Remediation
Within 24 hours: Inventory all vscode-spell-checker installations across development teams and document current versions. Within 7 days: Communicate patch availability status to all affected users and restrict cSpell.trustedWorkspace configuration changes to administrators only through policy enforcement. …
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