Privilege escalation via exposed serve-web connection token
Published Mar 12, 2024 · Updated May 3, 2025
Privilege escalation in Microsoft Visual Studio Code 1.87.1 and earlier allows local users to access an elevated serve-web instance. The code serve-web command places its connection token in process arguments, where lower-privileged accounts can read and reuse it. Exploitation requires visibility into elevated-process metadata and network reachability to that instance, granting the server's elevated access.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Microsoft Visual Studio Code 1.87.1 and earlier allows local users to access an elevated serve-web instance. The code serve-web command places its connection token in process arguments, where lower-privileged accounts can read and reuse it. Exploitation requires visibility into elevated-process metadata and network reachability to that instance, granting the server's elevated access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-26165
- Published
- Mar 12, 2024
- Updated
- May 3, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Visual Studio Code
- Classifications
- CWE-256, T1057
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 12, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 3, 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=1.0.0 <1.87.2
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
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Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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