JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA CVE-2026-49366

Exploitation requires the victim to use IntelliJ IDEA's filename completion feature on attacker-supplied filenames residing in a location accessible to the IDE, meaning the attacker must first deliver maliciously named files to the developer's workstation (for example via a cloned repository, downloaded archive, or shared network volume). The CVSS vector confirms local attack vector (AV:L) and required user interaction (UI:R), so the developer must actively invoke the completion action; no prior authentication on the system by the attacker is needed (PR:N) because the code executes in the context of the local developer who triggers completion. Exploitation is limited to IntelliJ IDEA versions before 2026.1.1, and the impact is bounded by the privileges of the developer's user account on the workstation.

The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H yields a base score of 7.8 (High), reflecting local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, but mandatory user interaction; impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is all High because code executes with the developer's user privileges. EPSS data was not supplied for this CVE, and the vulnerability is not present in the CISA KEV catalog, indicating no confirmed active exploitation. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, so practical risk is currently driven by the plausibility of social-engineering a developer into opening or completing a maliciously named file (for example via a cloned repository or shared archive). The user-interaction requirement and local vector temper raw severity, but developer workstations are high-value targets due to access to source code, signing keys, and CI credentials, so this should be prioritized for patching even absent KEV listing.

An attacker publishes or shares a Git repository, ZIP archive, or shared folder containing files whose names embed shell metacharacters and command payloads. A targeted developer clones or opens the project in IntelliJ IDEA and triggers filename completion (for example while editing a run configuration, import path, or terminal command), at which point the crafted filename is concatenated into an OS command and the attacker's payload executes under the developer's account, providing access to source code, SSH keys, and cloud credentials. No public exploit identified at time of analysis.