Microsoft Visual Studio Code up to 1.136.1 path traversal

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Microsoft Visual Studio Code up to 1.136.1. It has been classified as problematic. The affected element is an unknown function. Performing a manipulation results in path traversal. This vulnerability was named CVE-2026-78461. The attack may be initiated remotely. There is no available exploit. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in Microsoft Visual Studio Code up to 1.136.1. This affects an unknown code block. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a path traversal vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-22. The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality. The summary by CVE is:

Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory ('path traversal') in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature over a network.

It is possible to read the advisory at msrc.microsoft.com. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-78461 since 08/24/2026. The exploitability is told to be easy. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. No form of authentication is needed for exploitation. It demands that the victim is doing some kind of user interaction. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/09/2026). The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1006 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

Upgrading to version 1.136.2 eliminates this vulnerability.

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Productinfo

Type

• Programming Tool Software

Vendor

• Microsoft

Name

• Visual Studio Code

Version

• 1.136.0
• 1.136.1

License

• commercial

Website

• Vendor: https://www.microsoft.com/

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CPE 2.2info

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