CVE-2025-57728 in IntelliJ IDEA
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2025
In JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before 2025.2 improper access control allowed Code With Me guest to discover hidden files
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-57728 represents a critical access control flaw within JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA development environment that affects versions prior to 2025.2. This security weakness specifically impacts the Code With Me collaborative feature, which enables multiple developers to work simultaneously on the same project. The vulnerability stems from inadequate permission controls that fail to properly restrict guest users from accessing files that should remain hidden or restricted within the development workspace. The flaw allows unauthorized discovery of hidden files through the collaborative session mechanism, potentially exposing sensitive project artifacts, configuration files, or internal implementation details that should not be visible to external participants.
This access control failure operates at the application level within IntelliJ IDEA's collaborative framework where guest participants can bypass normal file visibility restrictions. The technical implementation appears to lack proper authorization checks when processing file access requests from remote participants in Code With Me sessions. The vulnerability manifests when guest users attempt to navigate or access files that are typically hidden or marked as restricted within the IDE's file system hierarchy. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in the access control matrix that governs user permissions within the integrated development environment. The flaw falls under the category of improper access control as defined by CWE-284, which specifically addresses inadequate access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to access resources they should not be permitted to access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it could enable malicious actors or unauthorized users to gain insights into project structure, internal code organization, and potentially sensitive configuration details. When multiple developers collaborate using Code With Me, the guest participants who are granted limited access rights can exploit this vulnerability to discover files that contain sensitive information such as API keys, database connection strings, or internal architectural decisions that should remain confidential. The vulnerability essentially undermines the security boundaries that separate different user roles within the development environment, creating potential attack vectors for information gathering and reconnaissance activities that could be leveraged in subsequent attacks. This issue particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on collaborative development practices and may have security policies requiring strict separation of sensitive project components.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve upgrading to JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA version 2025.2 or later, which includes the necessary access control fixes. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as restricting Code With Me sessions to trusted participants only and conducting regular audits of collaborative session participants. Network-level controls can help by limiting access to development environments and implementing proper authentication mechanisms before granting access to collaborative features. Security teams should review and update their access control policies to ensure that even in collaborative environments, proper authorization checks are enforced for all file access operations. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices in development environments and demonstrates how collaborative features, while beneficial for productivity, can introduce new attack surfaces if not properly secured. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unusual file access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts of access control vulnerabilities.