Visual Studio Code: Security feature bypass via path equivalence
Summary
A security feature bypass in Visual Studio Code, caused by improper resolution of path equivalence (CWE-41), allows an attacker to bypass a protection mechanism locally. Per a secondary source, the bypass affects Workspace Trust, which could let untrusted workspaces run code without consent. Exploitation requires local access, high attack complexity and user interaction, such as a developer opening a malicious or untrusted repository.
Affected
- Microsoft Visual Studio Code 1.0.0 to before 1.141.1 (CNA data)
- VulDB lists the range up to 1.141.0 (consistent)
Fixed in
- Microsoft Visual Studio Code 1.141.1 or later (per secondary source; verify against the MSRC advisory)
Workaround
Unknown. No vendor-documented workaround found. As a precaution, keep Workspace Trust enabled and do not trust unknown repositories or workspaces.
Exploitation
- No evidence of exploitation in the wild.
- Not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
- No public proof-of-concept found.
- CISA SSVC: exploitation none, automatable no.
- EPSS about 0.4 percent (0.0038).
Our recommendation
- Update all Visual Studio Code installations to 1.141.1 or later after confirming the fixed version on the MSRC advisory.
- Verify that Workspace Trust is enabled on all developer workstations.
- Instruct developers not to trust unknown repositories or workspaces, and be cautious with externally cloned or shared code.
- Patching is low effort; prioritise developer workstations.
Information from Microsoft (Patch Tuesday October 2026)
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Microsoft Security Update Guide: CVE-2026-102231 msrc.microsoft.com
- Vulners: CVE List record CVE-2026-102231 vulners.com
- VulDB: CVE-2026-102231 vuldb.com
- Vulners: NVD record CVE-2026-102231 vulners.com
- Windowsforum: CVE-2026-102231 write-up windowsforum.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 2 Nov 2026, 08:40.
Original description (NVD)
Improper resolution of path equivalence in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature locally.
NVD references (1)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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