Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-exploitable with no attacker privileges, but requires victim to open malicious content (UI:R); full OS command execution yields high CIA impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.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.
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Same weakness CWE-78 – OS Command Injection
View allSame technique Command Injection
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-56561
GHSA-5948-chc9-3jrw