CVE-2026-54525: CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') in shd101wyy vscode-markdown-preview-enhanced
Description
CVE-2026-54525 is an OS command injection vulnerability in the vscode-markdown-preview-enhanced extension for Visual Studio Code. Versions prior to 0.8.28 improperly handle decoded Markdown link targets on Windows, passing them to a file-opening helper that executes commands via cmd.exe. This allows an attacker to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the current user when a crafted link is clicked in an untrusted Markdown file. The issue is fixed in version 0.8.28.
CVSS v3.1
Score 8.8high
Affected software
shd101wyy
vscode-markdown-preview-enhanced
pkg:npm/vscode-markdown-preview-enhancedRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
Markdown Preview Enhanced is a VS Code extension that, before version 0.8.28, passes decoded Markdown link targets to a Windows file-opening helper which uses child_process.exec with the 'start' command. Because shell metacharacters in the decoded target are interpreted by cmd.exe as command separators, an attacker can craft a link that executes arbitrary OS commands with the current user's privileges upon clicking the link. This vulnerability does not require malicious workspace configuration, script execution to be enabled, or additional files, only a single preview-link click. The vulnerability is addressed in version 0.8.28.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary OS commands on the victim's Windows system with the privileges of the current VS Code user. This can lead to full compromise of the user's environment, including confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts as indicated by the CVSS score of 8.8 (high severity).
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade vscode-markdown-preview-enhanced to version 0.8.28 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. No other mitigations are specified or required.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-06-15T18:40:01.651Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6acfd5b12cdf04f656a54220
Added to database: 10/14/2026, 19:19:13 UTC
Last enriched: 10/14/2026, 19:33:15 UTC
Last updated: 10/14/2026, 19:34:08 UTC
Views: 4
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