CVE-2026-70335: GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Code Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
CVE-2026-70335 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Code, rated Important by Microsoft, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (High). An attacker can exploit it by an attacker with local access, without any privileges and only if a user takes an action. Microsoft has not reported exploitation in the wild and rates exploitation as more likely. The EPSS model estimates a 0.46% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 40% of all scored vulnerabilities. Microsoft released the fix on 11 August 2026 in the August 2026 Patch Tuesday. It affects 1 product in 1 product family (Developer Tools).
Key facts
- CVE ID
- CVE-2026-70335
- Severity
- High CVSS 7.8
- Microsoft severity
- Important
- Impact
- Elevation of Privilege
- Exploited in the wild
- No
- Publicly disclosed
- No
- Exploitation likelihood
- More Likely
- Weakness
- CWE-78
- EPSS
- 0.46% (percentile 40%)
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Released
- Last updated
- Patch Tuesday
- August 2026 Patch Tuesday
- Product families
- Developer Tools
CVSS score and vector
Microsoft scores CVE-2026-70335 at 7.8 (temporal 6.8) using CVSS 3.1. 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
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack vector | Local |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | None |
| User interaction | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality impact | High |
| Integrity impact | High |
| Availability impact | High |
| Exploit code maturity | Unproven |
| Remediation level | Official fix |
| Report confidence | Confirmed |
Description
Improper neutralization of special elements used in an os command ('os command injection') in GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Frequently asked questions (Microsoft)
How could an attacker exploit this vulnerability?
An attacker could embed malicious instructions in content that the AI agent processes, such as a web page, a repository file, or a tool response. When a user runs the agent against that content, the injected instructions could cause the agent to run commands on the user's machine without prompting for confirmation. Successful exploitation could allow the attacker to execute code in the context of the signed-in user. User interaction is required and the attack is carried out locally; no authentication is required for the attacker to supply the content.
Affected products (1)
Developer Tools
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Studio Code | Release Notes | Security Update | 1.132.1 | No |
NIST NVD data
- NVD status
- Analyzed
- NVD CVSS
- 7.8 (HIGH)
- NVD weakness
- CWE-78
- Published to NVD
- NVD last modified
Affected configurations (CPE)
| Product | Vulnerable versions |
|---|---|
| visual studio code | before 1.132.1 |
References
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-70335 (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
Acknowledgments
- Daniel Weglowski
- Tarek Nakkouch
Revision history
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Information published. | |
| 1.1 | Updated an acknowledgement. This is an informational change only. | |
| 1.2 | Affected software updated with new package information. |