CVE-2026-102238

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Path Traversal Vulnerability in Visual Studio Code

Publication date: 2026-10-13

Last updated on: 2026-10-15

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory ('path traversal') in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-13

Last Modified

2026-10-15

Generated

2026-10-19

AI Q&A

2026-10-14

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-18

NVD

CVE-2026-102238

EUVD

EUVD-2026-100600

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
Microsoft	Visual	Studio Code 1.0.0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-22	The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a path traversal vulnerability in Visual Studio Code that allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code remotely over a network by bypassing path restrictions.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to run malicious code on your system, potentially stealing data, installing malware, or taking control of your machine if you use the vulnerable version of Visual Studio Code.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows unauthorized remote code execution via path traversal, which could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data. This may violate compliance requirements under GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health information security) by enabling data breaches or unauthorized system access.

Mitigation Strategies

Update Visual Studio Code to the latest version as soon as possible to patch the path traversal vulnerability. Monitor network traffic for suspicious activity related to Visual Studio Code processes.

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