CVE-2025-61680 identifies a security vulnerability in the Minecraft-rcon extension for Visual Studio Code, maintained by jaketcooper. This extension facilitates remote management of Minecraft servers via the RCON protocol. Versions from 0.1.0 up to 2.0.6 store the RCON password in plaintext within the VS Code settings.json file by leveraging the VS Code configuration API. This practice violates secure credential storage principles (CWE-256: Plaintext Storage of a Password) and exposes sensitive authentication data to any user or process with access to the local filesystem where VS Code settings are stored. The vulnerability does not require any authentication or user interaction to be exploited, but an attacker must have local access or compromise the user's environment to read the plaintext password. Exploiting this vulnerability could allow unauthorized remote control of Minecraft servers, potentially leading to server manipulation, data loss, or service disruption. The vulnerability has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 6.6, reflecting medium severity, primarily due to the ease of access to the plaintext password and the potential impact on server integrity and availability. The issue was addressed in version 2.1.0 of the extension by presumably implementing secure storage mechanisms or encryption for the password. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date.

For European organizations, especially those operating Minecraft servers for educational, entertainment, or commercial purposes, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized server access if attackers gain access to developer or administrator machines where the vulnerable extension is installed. The plaintext password exposure can lead to server manipulation, including unauthorized command execution, data tampering, or denial of service. This could disrupt services, damage reputation, and potentially lead to financial losses or regulatory scrutiny if personal data is involved. Organizations with lax endpoint security or shared development environments are at higher risk. Additionally, if the compromised servers are part of larger networks or infrastructure, the attack surface and potential impact increase. Given the popularity of Minecraft and VS Code in Europe, the vulnerability could affect a broad range of users from hobbyists to professional server administrators.

European organizations should immediately upgrade the Minecraft-rcon VS Code extension to version 2.1.0 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict access controls on developer and administrator machines to prevent unauthorized local access. Implementing endpoint security solutions that monitor and restrict access to configuration files like settings.json can reduce risk. Use encrypted credential storage solutions or environment variables instead of plaintext configuration files where possible. Regularly audit and rotate RCON passwords to limit exposure duration. Educate users about the risks of storing sensitive credentials in plaintext and encourage secure development practices. Additionally, consider isolating Minecraft server management environments from general-purpose workstations to reduce attack vectors. Monitoring server logs for unusual RCON activity can help detect exploitation attempts early.