CVE-2021-42322Public exploit

Local privilege escalation via inherited NODE_OPTIONS

Published Nov 10, 2021 · Updated Aug 19, 2026

Privilege escalation in Microsoft Visual Studio Code before 1.62.1 allows local users to execute code outside a macOS application sandbox. A sandboxed process can launch the application with ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE enabled and a NODE_OPTIONS require directive that loads attacker-controlled JavaScript. Exploitation requires local code execution inside a macOS sandbox; the injected script then runs with Visual Studio Code's unsandboxed application privileges.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.54%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in Microsoft Visual Studio Code before 1.62.1 allows local users to execute code outside a macOS application sandbox. A sandboxed process can launch the application with ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE enabled and a NODE_OPTIONS require directive that loads attacker-controlled JavaScript. Exploitation requires local code execution inside a macOS sandbox; the injected script then runs with Visual Studio Code's unsandboxed application privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-42322
Published
Nov 10, 2021
Updated
Aug 19, 2026
Vendor
Microsoft
Product
Visual Studio Code
Classifications
CWE-269, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 10, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 19, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=1.0.0 <1.62.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Microsoft · Visual Studio Codeversion=1.0.0 <1.62.1

Published CVSS scores

7.8Microsoft CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.6NIST National Vulnerability DatabaseAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo