CVE-2026-45496 Visual Studio Code Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Medium 5.5 Published 14 Jul 2026 Updated 28 Oct 2026

An attacker can bypass security features in Visual Studio Code via path traversal, requiring a patch to mitigate.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: A user has to click or open something
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2026-45496?

CVE-2026-45496 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio Code, published on 14 Jul 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

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

Weakness: CWE-22

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-45496?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Microsoft Visual Studio Code.

How do I fix CVE-2026-45496?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-45496 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2026-45496 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-45496 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Microsoft Visual Studio Code vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-m7vq-9w86-qx38.