CVE-2026-78462: CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key in Microsoft Visual Studio Code
Description
Authorization bypass through user-controlled key in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature over a network.
CVSS v3.1
Score 8.8high
Affected software
Microsoft
Visual Studio Code
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-78462) involves an authorization bypass through a user-controlled key in Microsoft Visual Studio Code. The flaw allows an attacker without privileges to bypass security controls remotely. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.8, indicating high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The issue affects Visual Studio Code versions >=1.0.0 and <1.136.2. Microsoft has published an official fix to address this vulnerability.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access by bypassing security features, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The vulnerability is exploitable over a network without requiring privileges, though user interaction is required.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available from Microsoft. Users should apply the update to Visual Studio Code version 1.136.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Refer to the Microsoft advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-78462 for detailed patch information.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-24T16:21:50.287Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- official-fix
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-78462","vendor":"Microsoft"}]
Threat ID: 6aa04561acd9273b49faa1bc
Added to database: 09/08/2026, 17:26:57 UTC
Last enriched: 10/14/2026, 22:01:17 UTC
Last updated: 10/21/2026, 13:40:30 UTC
Views: 51
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