CVE-2023-21779
📛 CVE Title
Visual Studio Code Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Description
Visual Studio Code Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Overview
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Assigner (CNA)
- microsoft
- CVSS severity
- HIGH
- CVSS score
- 7.8 / 10
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C- Effective score
- 7.8 / 10 HIGH source: CNA overview
- MSRC score
- 7.8 / 10 HIGH MS rating: Important · Remote Code Execution
- CWE(s)
-
CWE-502 - Reserved
- 2022-12-16
- Published
- 2023-01-10 08:00 UTC
- Last updated
- 2023-05-09 07:00 UTC
- Source
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2023/21xxx/CVE-2023-21779.json
- Linked Threat
- CVE-2023-21779 — Visual Studio Code Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
NVD triage scoring NVD CVE 2.0
Layer NVD adds on top of the CNA's CVE record — published / last-modified timestamps, exploitability / impact subscores, and the FIRST.org EPSS probability that this CVE will be exploited in the wild in the next 30 days.
- NVD published
- 2023-01-10 22:15:19 UTC
- NVD last modified
- 2026-06-17 05:33:58 UTC
- NVD CVSS v3.1
- 7.8 / 10 HIGH source: secure@microsoft.com
- NVD CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Exploitability subscore
- 1.8 / 10
- Impact subscore
- 5.9 / 10
- EPSS score
- 0.0227 (probability of exploitation in next 30 days)
- EPSS percentile
- 81.26% vs all CVEs — higher = more likely to be exploited, as of 2026-07-27
NVD / KEV / EPSS data refreshed 2026-07-28 11:07 UTC. Re-run the 🛰 Backfill from NVD button above to refresh.
European Union Vulnerability Database ENISA EUVD
ENISA's official EU repository for curated vulnerability intelligence. Carries a separate identifier (EUVD-YYYY-NNNN) and frequently exposes an earlier-published description + CVSS than NVD does.
- EUVD ID
-
EUVD-2023-25946 - Assigner
- microsoft
- Published
- Jan 10, 2023, 12:00:00 AM
- Updated
- Jan 1, 2025, 12:36:23 AM
- EUVD base score (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/E:U/RL:O/RC:C - EUVD-reported EPSS
- 1.4900
- Vendors
- Microsoft
- Products
-
Visual Studio Code (1.0.0 <1.74.3)
ENISA description: Visual Studio Code Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
EUVD references (1)
Microsoft Security Response Center MSRC
Microsoft's vendor-authoritative record from the Security Update Guide — its own CVSS score, impact, severity rating, exploit assessment, and KB-article fixes. Refreshed 2026-08-12 01:01 UTC (source: CVRF).
- MS severity
- Important
- Impact
- Remote Code Execution
- MS CVSS base score
- 7.8 / 10 (temporal 6.8)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C - Exploit assessment
- Publicly Disclosed:No;Exploited:No;Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely;DOS:N/A
- Release
- 2023-Jan
Microsoft remediations / KB articles (1)
- Release Notes — Vendor Fix / Security Update (fixed build 1.74.3)
Microsoft FAQ (2)
According to the CVSS metric, the attack vector is local (AV:L). Why does the CVE title indicate that this is a remote code execution?
The word Remote in the title refers to the location of the attacker. This type of exploit is sometimes referred to as Arbitrary Code Execution (ACE). The attack itself is carried out locally.
For example, when the score indicates that the Attack Vector is Local and User Interaction is Required, this could describe an exploit in which an attacker, through social engineering, convinces a victim to download and open a specially crafted file from a website which leads to a local attack on their computer.
According to the CVSS metric, user interaction is required (UI:R). What interaction would the user have to do?
The user would have be enticed to open a malicious file in vscode. Users should never open anything that they do not know or trust to be safe.
Affected products (1)
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Visual Studio Code |
1.0.0 (affected)
|
Unknown |
Affected products — CPE 2.3 (1) NVD
NVD's normalized CPE 2.3 matchers, used by vendor tools (vulnerability scanners, asset managers) for automated detection. Compare with the CNA's free-text "Affected products" section above.
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_studio_code:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendor references (1)
References embedded in the original CVE record by the assigning CNA.
- Visual Studio Code Remote Code Execution Vulnerability vendor-advisory
Web references (6)
DuckDuckGo results ranked by threat-intel / vendor advisory domains. Generated by the 🔎 Find references (web) button above — same flow as the Remediations search.
- Release Notes msrc
- http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/502.html rapid7:cwe.mitre.org
- https://attackerkb.com/topics/CVE-2023-21779 rapid7:attackerkb.com
- https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2023-25946 rapid7:euvd.enisa.europa.eu
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-21779 rapid7:msrc.microsoft.com
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-21779 rapid7:www.cve.org
NVD-tagged references (2)
Reference list NVD curates from the CNA record, vendor advisories, and third-party reports. The tag chips below are NVD's analyst-assigned categories.
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-21779 secure@microsoft.com
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-21779 af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Remediations (16)
Remediations are stored against the linked Threat row; the list below is deduplicated across both pages.
-
web:www.notebookcheck.net
Microsoft's Windows 11 KB5083769 April 2026 update causes critical boot failures, pixelated BSODs, and BitLocker recovery loops on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 PCs.
2026-06-04 11:44 UTC -
web:www.oracle.com
Critical Security Patch Updates Critical Security Patch Updates provide security patches for supported Oracle on-premises products. A Critical Security Patch Update provides targeted, high-priority security fixes in a smaller, more focused format, making them easier to apply with minimal disruption.
2026-06-04 11:44 UTC -
web:thewincentral.com
Microsoft rolls out Windows 11 KB5083769 (April 2026 update). New features & fixes. How to download. - Read in Latest News on WinCentral
2026-06-04 11:44 UTC -
web:nvd.nist.gov
The NVD is the U.S. government repository of standards based vulnerability management data represented using the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP). This data enables automation of vulnerability management, security measurement, and compliance. The NVD includes databases of security checklist references, security-related software flaws, product names, and impact metrics. For ...
2026-06-04 11:44 UTC -
web:www.windowslatest.com
Windows 11 March 2026 Patch Tuesday update adds Emoji 16.0, Sysmon, network speed test, reliability improvements, and security fixes.
2026-06-04 11:44 UTC -
web:learn.microsoft.com
As of November 11, 2025, Home and Pro editions of Windows 11, version 23H2 have reached end of servicing. Enterprise and Education editions of version 23H2 will continue to receive monthly security updates until November 10, 2026.
2026-06-04 11:44 UTC -
web:www.manageengine.com
Patch Details: The name of the patch and the affected products. Patch Details The following patch details are shown: Patch ID: A unique reference ID for every patch Patch Name: The name of the patch Bulletin ID: The Bulletin ID pertaining to this patch MS Knowledge Base: The knowledge base article corresponding to this patch .
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC -
web:www.oracle.com
This Critical Patch Update contains 481 new security patches across the product families listed below. Please note that an MOS note summarizing the content of this Critical Patch Update and other Oracle Software Security Assurance activities is located at April 2026 Critical Patch Update: Executive Summary and Analysis.
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC -
web:www.pcworld.com
This month's Patch Tuesday includes an actively exploited Office zero-day vulnerability and several critical RCE bugs in Windows and Remote Desktop.
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC -
web:access.redhat.com
Learn about our open source products, services, and company. You are here
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC -
web:www.windowslatest.com
Windows 11 April 2026 update adds Narrator Copilot support, faster Settings, File Explorer fixes, and key security improvements.
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC -
web:cyberpress.org
Three critical vulnerabilities have been disclosed in n8n, the popular open-source workflow automation platform, any one of which could allow an authenticated attacker to achieve remote code execution (RCE) or read arbitrary files from the host server.
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC -
web:cybersecuritynews.com
Microsoft released its March 2026 Patch Tuesday security update on March 10, 2026, addressing 78 vulnerabilities across Windows, Microsoft Office, Azure, SQL Server, and .NET. The update includes one actively exploited zero-day vulnerability and multiple Critical-rated flaws demanding immediate attention from security teams. The most urgent fix this month is CVE -2026-21262, the sole zero-day ...
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC -
web:github.com
A new and improved community patch for BO3. . Contribute to shiversoftdev/t7patch development by creating an account on GitHub.
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC -
web:portal.msrc.microsoft.com
The Security Update Guide provides information on the latest Microsoft security updates, helping users understand and address potential vulnerabilities effectively.
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC -
web:www.bleepingcomputer.com
Today is Microsoft's March 2026 Patch Tuesday with security updates for 79 flaws, including 2 publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerabilities.
2026-05-22 05:46 UTC
AI Forensic Analysis
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Raw JSON
The full cvelistV5 record. Download as CVE-2023-21779.json.
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