# CVE-2025-53536: Roo Code allows Potential Remote Code Execution via .vscode/settings.json

> An attacker can achieve remote code execution by manipulating VS Code settings via the AI agent if write permissions are auto-approved.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 7 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 8 Jul 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3765-5vjr-qjgm

## What is CVE-2025-53536?

CVE-2025-53536 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in RooCodeInc Roo-Code, published on 7 Jul 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Roo Code is an AI-powered autonomous coding agent. Prior to 3.22.6, if the victim had "Write" auto-approved, an attacker with the ability to submit prompts to the agent could write to VS Code settings files and trigger code execution. There were multiple ways to achieve that. One example is with the php.validate.executablePath setting which lets you set the path for the php executable for syntax validation. The attacker could have written the path to an arbitrary command there and then created a php file to trigger it. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.22.6.

Weakness: CWE-552 (Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-53536?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Roocode Roo Code.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-53536?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-53536 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-53536 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-53536 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in RooCodeInc Roo-Code

- [CVE-2025-58371](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-58371/): Roo Code is vulnerable to command injection via GitHub actions workflow (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2026-30307](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-30307/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-65946](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-65946/): Roo Code is Vulnerable to Potential Remote Code Execution via zsh Command Validation Bug (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2025-58370](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-58370/): Roo Code: Potential Remote Code Execution via Bash Parameter Expansion and Indirect Reference (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2025-58372](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-58372/): Roo Code: Potential Remote Code Execution via .code-workspace (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-53536 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-53536 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in RooCodeInc Roo-Code, published on 7 Jul 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-53536 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: RooCodeInc Roo-Code. 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-2025-53536/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-53536/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-53536
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-53536
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-53536

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-53536/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.