What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-69320?

CVE-2026-69320 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.5%.

Which versions of Visual Studio Code are affected by CVE-2026-69320?

Visual Studio Code contains an OS command injection vulnerability (CVE-2026-69320, CVSS 8.8) enabling remote code execution when developers open attacker-controlled workspaces or repositories.. A patch is available.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-69320?

Within 24 hours, inventory all Visual Studio Code installations and identify which teams rely on it daily-this timeline is viable given no active exploitation has been reported. Over the next 7 days, deploy compensating controls: disable workspace trust features where possible, prohibit opening untrusted repositories or workspaces via policy, enable process monitoring on developer machines to detect suspicious commands, and restrict VS Code to limited user accounts without elevated shell privileges. Within 30 days, establish a direct alert channel with Microsoft for CVE-2026-69320 patch notifications, prepare a full deployment plan to roll out the patch within one week of release, and maintain all compensating controls until deployment occurs.

Visual Studio Code CVE-2026-69320

EUVD-2026-56561 HIGH

OS Command Injection (CWE-78)

2026-08-11 secure@microsoft.com

GHSA-5948-chc9-3jrw

Command Injection Microsoft Visual Studio Code

8.8

CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft

Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY

8.8 HIGH

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

ENISA EUVD

HIGH

qualitative

vuln.today AI

8.8 HIGH

Network-exploitable with no attacker privileges, but requires victim to open malicious content (UI:R); full OS command execution yields high CIA impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Patch available

Aug 11, 2026 - 18:19 EUVD

Analysis Generated

Aug 11, 2026 - 17:57 vuln.today

CVE Published

Aug 11, 2026 - 17:19 nvd

HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Improper neutralization of special elements used in an os command ('os command injection') in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

AnalysisAI

OS command injection in Visual Studio Code exposes victims to remote code execution when they interact with attacker-controlled content, such as a malicious workspace, repository, or file. The vulnerability (CWE-78) stems from improper neutralization of shell metacharacters in input passed to OS-level command execution routines, giving an unauthenticated network attacker the ability to run arbitrary commands with the privileges of the VS Code process. No active exploitation has been confirmed by CISA KEV, and no public proof-of-concept is referenced at time of analysis.

Technical ContextAI

CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command) indicates that Visual Studio Code fails to sanitize or escape shell metacharacters - such as semicolons, backticks, pipes, or command substitution sequences - before passing user-influenced data to a system shell or OS command API. Visual Studio Code is an Electron-based editor built on Node.js, and it regularly invokes underlying OS shells for integrated terminal sessions, build task runners, debugger launch configurations, and extension host processes. Any of these integration points that accept external input (e.g., from a cloned repository's workspace configuration, a crafted extension manifest, or a remote development session) could serve as an injection surface. No CPE strings were included in the source data, so exact affected versions cannot be independently confirmed; affected version range should be verified against the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69320.

RemediationAI

The primary remediation is to apply any patch or updated release of Visual Studio Code identified in the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69320. No specific fixed version number was included in the available intelligence data, so the exact upgrade target must be obtained directly from the MSRC advisory. Vendor-released patch status is confirmed as 'patch available per vendor advisory' based on MSRC publication, but the precise fix version was not independently verifiable from the provided data. As a compensating control pending patching, organizations should restrict VS Code usage in environments where untrusted workspaces or repositories are routinely opened, and consider disabling or constraining VS Code's task runner and terminal integration features for users who do not require them, noting that this will degrade developer workflow functionality. Enforcing code signing or provenance checks on workspace configurations before opening them can also reduce the attack surface.