CVE-2019-16765

Name: CVE-2019-16765
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2019-11-25T18:15:11.72+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

HIGHCVSS 7.8/10EPSS 4.73%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2019-16765 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.8/10 on the CVSS scale. If an attacker can get a user to open a specially prepared directory tree as a workspace in Visual Studio Code with the CodeQL extension active, arbitrary code of the attacker's choosing may be executed on the user's behalf. This is fixed in version 1.0.1 of the extension. EPSS estimates a 4.73% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

If an attacker can get a user to open a specially prepared directory tree as a workspace in Visual Studio Code with the CodeQL extension active, arbitrary code of the attacker's choosing may be executed on the user's behalf. This is fixed in version 1.0.1 of the extension. Users should upgrade to this version using Visual Studio Code Marketplace's upgrade mechanism. After upgrading, the codeQL.cli.executablePath setting can only be set in the per-user settings, and not in the per-workspace settings. More information about VS Code settings can be found here.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

4.73%

90.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Microsoft	Codeql	< 1.0.1

References

https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/blob/v1.0.1/CHANGELOG.mdRelease Notes
https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/pull/174Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/security/advisories/GHSA-wf4x-8mpj-r42qThird Party Advisory
https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/blob/v1.0.1/CHANGELOG.mdRelease Notes
https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/pull/174Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/security/advisories/GHSA-wf4x-8mpj-r42qThird Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Nov 25, 2019
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-16765?

How severe is CVE-2019-16765?

CVE-2019-16765 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 4.73% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2019-16765?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2019-16765?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST