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CVE-2020-17023

HIGHCVSS 7.8/10EPSS 4.24%

Last modified

CVE-2020-17023 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.8/10 on the CVSS scale. <p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Visual Studio Code when a user is tricked into opening a malicious 'package.json' file. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. EPSS estimates a 4.24% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Visual Studio Code when a user is tricked into opening a malicious 'package.json' file. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.</p> <p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to convince a target to clone a repository and open it in Visual Studio Code. Attacker-specified code would execute when the target opens the malicious 'package.json' file.</p> <p>The update address the vulnerability by modifying the way Visual Studio Code handles JSON files.</p>

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
4.24%

89.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
MicrosoftVisual Studio CodeAll versions

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-17023?
<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Visual Studio Code when a user is tricked into opening a malicious 'package.json' file. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.</p> <p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to convince a target to clone a repository and open it in Visual Studio Code. Attacker-specified code would execute when the target opens the malicious 'package.json' file.</p> <p>The update address the vulnerability by modifying the way Visual Studio Code handles JSON files.</p>
How severe is CVE-2020-17023?
CVE-2020-17023 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 4.24% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2020-17023?
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-2020-17023?

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

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Source: NVD / NIST