Publisher impersonation via unsanitized VSIX display names
Published Apr 11, 2023 · Updated Jan 23, 2025
Spoofing in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017, 2019, and 2022 allows local users to impersonate extension publishers through crafted VSIX files. The VSIX installer renders newline characters from extension.vsixmanifest DisplayName, letting excess lines hide the unsigned warning while attacker-controlled text presents a fake signature. Exploitation requires a local user to open and install the crafted extension; successful deception runs its payload with that user's access.
Summary
What happened
Spoofing in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017, 2019, and 2022 allows local users to impersonate extension publishers through crafted VSIX files. The VSIX installer renders newline characters from extension.vsixmanifest DisplayName, letting excess lines hide the unsigned warning while attacker-controlled text presents a fake signature. Exploitation requires a local user to open and install the crafted extension; successful deception runs its payload with that user's access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-28299
- Published
- Apr 11, 2023
- Updated
- Jan 23, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Microsoft Visual Studio 2019
- Classifications
- T1204.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 11, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 23, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=16.11.0 <16.11.26
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Crafted VSIX DisplayName publisher-spoof demonstrationfunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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