CVE-2026-120780: Visual Studio Code Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
CVE-2026-120780 is a remote code execution vulnerability in Visual Studio Code, rated Important by Microsoft, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.3 (High). An attacker can exploit it remotely over the network, without any privileges and only if a user takes an action. Microsoft has not reported exploitation in the wild and rates exploitation as less likely. Microsoft released the fix on 10 November 2026 in the November 2026 Patch Tuesday. It affects 1 product in 1 product family (Developer Tools).
Key facts
- CVE ID
- CVE-2026-120780
- Severity
- High CVSS 8.3
- Microsoft severity
- Important
- Impact
- Remote Code Execution
- Exploited in the wild
- No
- Publicly disclosed
- No
- Exploitation likelihood
- Less Likely
- Weakness
- CWE-284
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Released
- Last updated
- Patch Tuesday
- November 2026 Patch Tuesday
- Product families
- Developer Tools
CVSS score and vector
Microsoft scores CVE-2026-120780 at 8.3 (temporal 7.2) using CVSS 3.1. Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack vector | Network |
| Attack complexity | High |
| Privileges required | None |
| User interaction | Required |
| Scope | Changed |
| Confidentiality impact | High |
| Integrity impact | High |
| Availability impact | High |
| Exploit code maturity | Unproven |
| Remediation level | Official fix |
| Report confidence | Confirmed |
Description
Improper access control in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Frequently asked questions (Microsoft)
How could an attacker exploit this vulnerability?
An unauthenticated attacker could convince a user with an active, previously authenticated Visual Studio Code web-server session to open a specially crafted link. If a vulnerable older server version remains available, successful exploitation could cause that version to run and allow the attacker to execute code with the server account's permissions.
According to the CVSS metric, the attack complexity is high (AC:H). What does this mean for this vulnerability?
An attacker would need specific conditions to be in place (i.e. particular protocol settings, or configurations, etc.) before an attack could succeed, which reduces the likelihood of widespread or opportunistic exploitation.
Affected products (1)
Developer Tools
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Studio Code | Release Notes | Security Update | 1.145.3 |
NIST NVD data
- NVD status
- Awaiting Analysis
- NVD CVSS
- 8.3 (HIGH)
- NVD weakness
- CWE-284
- Published to NVD
- NVD last modified
References
Acknowledgments
- Anonymous
- Sechack
Revision history
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Information published. |