# CVE-2025-21178: Visual Studio Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

> An attacker can execute arbitrary code by exploiting memory corruption vulnerabilities in Microsoft Visual Studio.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Jan 2025
- **Updated:** 9 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7qvp-9xw6-rpfp

## What is CVE-2025-21178?

CVE-2025-21178 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017, published on 14 Jan 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Visual Studio Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read), CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21178?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Microsoft Visual Studio 2017, Microsoft Visual Studio 2019, Microsoft Visual Studio 2022.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-21178?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-21178 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-21178 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21178 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017

- [CVE-2019-1349](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1349/): Code injection in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-1350](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1350/): Code injection in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-1352](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1352/): Code injection in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-1354](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1354/): Code injection in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-28296](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28296/): Visual Studio Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-21178 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-21178 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017, published on 14 Jan 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21178 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Microsoft Visual Studio 2017. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21178/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21178/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-21178
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21178
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21178

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21178/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.