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Security researcher Ammar Askar disclosed a zero-day in Visual Studio Code’s webview message-handling that allowed attackers to steal GitHub OAuth tokens from github.dev with a single malicious link. The attack abused forwarded keyboard events and simulated keypresses to cross the webview security boundary, silently install a malicious extension, and extract the token that GitHub passes to the browser-based editor. Multiple reports said the token was broadly scoped rather than limited to the repository being viewed, giving access to all repositories the victim could reach, including private repositories with read/write permissions.
The exploit chain was also reported to affect desktop VS Code in some scenarios involving attacker-controlled repositories and malicious workspace content, though Microsoft said the issue did not affect VS Code Desktop and later indicated the problem had been fixed in its services. Public reporting tied the disclosure to a dispute over Microsoft’s vulnerability-handling process, with Askar saying he notified GitHub shortly before release and published proof-of-concept code without coordinated disclosure. Recommended precautions included avoiding untrusted github.dev links, clearing saved site data for github.dev, and reviewing installed extensions for suspicious additions.
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5 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
A later report says Microsoft told BleepingComputer that the vulnerability had already been fixed in its services and that customers did not need to take action. This marks the first explicit claim in the references that remediation had already been completed.
Following disclosure, Microsoft acknowledged the issue and said it was working on a fix. This acknowledgment was reported after GitHub had been notified and the exploit details were public.
A GitHub issue was published in the microsoft/vscode repository documenting that webviews can trigger arbitrary keyboard shortcuts in the main workbench via forwarded keydown events. The issue describes the security implications of synthetic keyboard events crossing the webview boundary.
Reports say Askar notified GitHub about the issue roughly one hour before making the vulnerability public. One source explicitly anchors the notification to June 2, 2026.
Security researcher Ammar Askar publicly disclosed a one-click vulnerability affecting github.dev and VS Code webviews that can lead to GitHub OAuth token theft, and published technical details and proof-of-concept exploit code. Multiple reports state this disclosure occurred on June 2, 2026.
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A large-scale phishing campaign is abusing **GitHub Discussions** to post fake **Visual Studio Code** security alerts that pressure developers into downloading malware from external links. The posts impersonate legitimate advisories with fabricated `CVE` identifiers, fake affected version ranges, and urgent language, while newly created or low-activity accounts mass-tag developers across unrelated repositories to expand reach. Because GitHub Discussions can trigger email notifications to watchers and participants, the operation gains additional credibility and visibility beyond the platform itself. Analysis of the linked infrastructure showed a multi-stage redirection chain that used a Google `share.google` endpoint and the attacker-controlled domain `drnatashachinn[.]com`. The delivered JavaScript performed browser fingerprinting, cookie checks, obfuscation, and anti-analysis steps to distinguish real users from bots or security scanners before routing victims to later-stage malicious content, consistent with a traffic distribution system. Researchers said the campaign appears coordinated and automated, and urged developers to treat unsolicited GitHub security alerts with external download links as suspicious and verify VS Code updates only through official Microsoft channels.
Jun 29, 2026
Security researchers at **OX Security** disclosed multiple vulnerabilities across widely used Microsoft Visual Studio Code extensions—**Live Server**, **Code Runner**, **Markdown Preview Enhanced**, and **Microsoft Live Preview**—with combined installs reported at **125–128 million**. The issues enable attacks ranging from **local file exfiltration** to **arbitrary code/JavaScript execution**, and highlight how a single vulnerable or malicious extension can be leveraged for broader compromise and potential lateral movement in developer environments. Reported flaws include **CVE-2025-65717** (Live Server; CVSS 9.1) enabling local file theft by luring a developer to a malicious site while the extension’s local server is running (e.g., `localhost:5500`), **CVE-2025-65716** (Markdown Preview Enhanced; CVSS 8.8) allowing arbitrary JavaScript execution via a crafted `.md` file with subsequent local port enumeration and exfiltration, and **CVE-2025-65715** (Code Runner; CVSS 7.8) enabling code execution by tricking users into modifying `settings.json`. Separate reporting on **Microsoft Live Preview** describes a **one-click reflected XSS** and unauthenticated request abuse against the extension’s local development server to enumerate and exfiltrate sensitive files (e.g., `.env`, API keys, source code); this Live Preview issue was reported as patched in version **0.4.16** via input sanitization (e.g., an `escapeHTML` function), while other extension issues were described as **unpatched** at the time of reporting.
Jun 29, 2026
Researchers disclosed multiple high-severity vulnerabilities in widely used Visual Studio Code extensions, including **Live Server**, **Markdown Preview Enhanced**, **Code Runner**, and **Microsoft Live Preview**, exposing developers to local file theft, cross-site scripting, data exfiltration, and remote code execution. Three issues were assigned identifiers `CVE-2025-65715`, `CVE-2025-65716`, and `CVE-2025-65717`, with separate disclosures highlighting flaws in **Markdown Preview Enhanced** and **Live Server**. The most severe issue, `CVE-2025-65717` in **Live Server**, could allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to exfiltrate files from a developer workstation through localhost access if the victim opens a malicious website. Security guidance accompanying the disclosures urged organizations to update affected VS Code extensions to fixed versions, restrict installed extensions to those that are necessary, and prefer trusted publishers to reduce developer workstation exposure.
Jul 24, 2026