CVE-2026-45496: CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in Microsoft Visual Studio Code
CVE-2026-45496 is a path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio Code that allows a local unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature by improperly limiting pathnames to restricted directories. This vulnerability affects version 1.0.0 of Visual Studio Code. The issue has a medium severity with a CVSS score of 5.5. An official fix is available from Microsoft.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability (CWE-22) in Visual Studio Code involves improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, enabling a local attacker without privileges to bypass security controls by exploiting path traversal. The vulnerability affects version 1.0.0 of Visual Studio Code. Microsoft has published an official fix to address this issue.
Potential Impact
An unauthorized local attacker can bypass security features by exploiting the path traversal vulnerability, potentially gaining unauthorized access to restricted directories. The vulnerability does not impact integrity or availability but has a high impact on confidentiality as per the CVSS vector.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available from Microsoft. Users should apply the vendor-provided patch as detailed in the Microsoft security advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45496 to remediate this vulnerability.
CVE-2026-45496: CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in Microsoft Visual Studio Code
Description
CVE-2026-45496 is a path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio Code that allows a local unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature by improperly limiting pathnames to restricted directories. This vulnerability affects version 1.0.0 of Visual Studio Code. The issue has a medium severity with a CVSS score of 5.5. An official fix is available from Microsoft.
CVSS v3.1
Score 5.5medium
Affected software
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CWE-22) in Visual Studio Code involves improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, enabling a local attacker without privileges to bypass security controls by exploiting path traversal. The vulnerability affects version 1.0.0 of Visual Studio Code. Microsoft has published an official fix to address this issue.
Potential Impact
An unauthorized local attacker can bypass security features by exploiting the path traversal vulnerability, potentially gaining unauthorized access to restricted directories. The vulnerability does not impact integrity or availability but has a high impact on confidentiality as per the CVSS vector.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available from Microsoft. Users should apply the vendor-provided patch as detailed in the Microsoft security advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45496 to remediate this vulnerability.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2026-05-12T16:07:22.618Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- official-fix
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45496","vendor":"Microsoft"}]
Threat ID: 6a566f6868715ace43e6b33a
Added to database: 07/14/2026, 17:18:32 UTC
Last enriched: 07/15/2026, 02:03:33 UTC
Last updated: 07/15/2026, 02:03:33 UTC
Views: 3
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