Description

Incorrect authorization in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature locally.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-11T17:19:06.880Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-11T17:19:06.880Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An incorrect authorization vulnerability has been identified in Visual Studio Code, which allows an unauthorized local attacker to successfully bypass established security features.\nThe vulnerability resides within the authorization enforcement mechanisms of the application, leading to a local security control bypass.\nSuccessful exploitation of this flaw compromises the integrity of local security boundaries, potentially permitting unauthorized actions within the context of the affected product.\nThe risk implication is rated as moderate to high depending on the specific local privileges and environment configuration, as it weakens the defensive posture of the host system where Visual Studio Code is deployed.\nThe attacker capabilities required to exploit this vulnerability involve local access to the target machine.\nExploitation requirements include the ability to interact locally with the system running the vulnerable instance of Visual Studio Code to leverage the incorrect authorization checks and circumvent security controls.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper validation and flawed authorization logic within Visual Studio Code.\nSpecifically, the application fails to adequately verify the permissions and authorization context of operations requested locally, resulting in an authorization bypass condition.\nThe vulnerable component is responsible for enforcing access controls and security feature boundaries within the application runtime.\nThe attack flow begins with the unauthorized local attacker gaining execution capability or interface access on the target machine hosting Visual Studio Code.\nDue to the incorrect authorization checks, the attacker can issue specific commands or invoke privileged internal functions that are normally restricted by the security feature.\nThe application processes these local requests without enforcing the requisite permission validation, allowing the attacker to bypass the intended security restrictions.\nAuthentication requirements are minimal or absent for the local attack vector, as the flaw permits unauthorized interaction directly through the compromised authorization boundary.\nPrivilege requirements are restricted to local access, meaning the attacker must already be capable of executing code or interacting with the local environment where the application is installed.\nNetwork exposure is not required for this vulnerability, as the attack surface is strictly local to the host running Visual Studio Code.\nPost-exploitation impact involves the circumvention of security controls, potentially granting the local attacker unauthorized access to restricted functionalities or data managed by the application.\nDetailed step-by-step exploitation involves identifying the vulnerable authorization check, formulating a local request or interaction that triggers the flaw, and executing the payload or sequence to bypass the security feature without triggering access denial mechanisms."
}