Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory ('path traversal') in GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature locally.
AnalysisAI
Security feature bypass via path traversal in GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Code allows a local unauthorized attacker to escape a restricted directory and reach files or resources that should be inaccessible. The flaw is tracked under CWE-22 with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.4 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) reflecting high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact from local exploitation. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and the issue is not listed in CISA KEV.
Technical ContextAI
The vulnerability sits in the GitHub Copilot extension and the Visual Studio Code editor, both Microsoft developer tooling that processes workspace files, configuration, and AI prompt context on the local user's machine. CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory) indicates that input used to construct a filesystem path is not sufficiently normalized or canonicalized, so sequences such as '../' or absolute paths can break out of an intended sandbox or workspace root. In a Copilot/VS Code context this typically manifests in features that resolve file references from prompts, project metadata, settings, or extension messages, where the path-handling routine trusts attacker-influenced input to remain inside an allowlisted directory. CPE data was not included in the supplied intelligence, so exact build identifiers must be retrieved from the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft-supplied update for Visual Studio Code and the GitHub Copilot extension as published in the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45482; exact fixed version numbers were not included in the supplied data, so cite the build IDs listed in that advisory when planning rollout. Patch available per vendor advisory. As compensating controls until updates are deployed, restrict developers from opening untrusted workspaces by enabling VS Code Workspace Trust in restricted mode (which disables many extension capabilities and may reduce Copilot functionality), disable or unload the GitHub Copilot extension on machines that handle sensitive secrets (trade-off: loss of AI assistance), and avoid cloning or opening repositories from unvetted sources since local-vector exploitation typically requires attacker-influenced project content. Endpoint monitoring for unexpected file reads outside workspace roots by Code.exe / code processes can serve as a detection backstop.
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Same weakness CWE-22 – Path Traversal
View allSame technique Path Traversal
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-35547
GHSA-f78m-9xhc-p52v