Visual Studio EUVD-2026-44356

Exploitation requires local access and mandatory user interaction (CVSS UI:R): the victim must open or load attacker-supplied content - a crafted project, solution, or file - in an affected Visual Studio build (2022 17.12, 2022 17.14, or 2026 18.7). No pre-existing privileges or authentication are needed (PR:N), and complexity is low (AC:L). Limiting factors that reduce realistic risk: the attacker cannot trigger this remotely without luring a developer into opening the malicious artifact, only the listed versions are affected, and the impact is confined to the local user's context (scope unchanged, S:U). There is no evidence of active exploitation (not in CISA KEV) and no public POC referenced.

The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, 7.8 High) signals that exploitation is local and requires user interaction (UI:R) - typically opening a crafted project or file - but needs no prior privileges (PR:N) and has low attack complexity, yielding full C/I/A impact within an unchanged scope. Because the attack vector is local and gated on victim action, this is a developer-workstation supply-chain style risk rather than a remotely wormable network flaw. No EPSS score was supplied, the CVE is not in CISA KEV, and no POC is referenced, so real-world exploitation pressure appears low-to-moderate today; however, developer tooling is a high-value target because compromise can poison builds and steal credentials/source. Note a tension worth flagging: Microsoft tags label this an 'Authentication Bypass' while the CWE is Protection Mechanism Failure and the description says local code execution - verify the exact bypassed control against the MSRC advisory before assuming credential impact.

An attacker crafts a malicious Visual Studio project or solution and delivers it to a developer via a phishing email, a pull request, a shared repository, or a downloaded code sample. When the developer opens the project in an affected Visual Studio build, the failed protection mechanism is bypassed and attacker-controlled code executes locally in the developer's context. No public exploit is identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity makes weaponization straightforward if details emerge.