CVE-2026-21257: GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Overview

Severity

High (CVSS 8)

CVSS Vector

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

Category

Elevation of Privilege

Exploit Status

Not Exploited

Exploitation Likelihood

Less Likely

Patch Tuesday

2026-Feb

Released

2026-02-10

Last Updated

2026-03-13

EPSS Score

0.04% (percentile: 12.3%)

Description

Improper neutralization of special elements used in a command ('command injection') in GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.

FAQ

What privileges could be gained by an attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability? The attacker would gain the rights of the user that is running the affected application.

Affected Products (2)

Developer Tools

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 version 17.14
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2026 version 18.3

Security Updates (2)

• Release Notes
• Release Notes

Acknowledgments

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarek-nakkouch/">Tarek Nakkouch</a>

Revision History

• 2026-02-10: Information published.
• 2026-03-13: Changes made to the security updates links and information. This is an informational change only.