CVE-2026-21257CWE-77

GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

High · published February 10, 2026

CVSS v3.1
8.0
EPSS
1%
Percentile
59.4
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

⚡ A crafty command injection allows authorized users to elevate their privileges in GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio — a sneaky trapdoor in your code! 🔥 Think of this like a hotel concierge who, without verifying your identity, gives you access to the VIP suite simply because you asked nicely. If someone can slip in a special request, they could gain access to all sorts of privileged resources without proper checks. An attacker could exploit this to gain elevated privileges, potentially compromising sensitive data and configurations. They could run commands that manipulate your system in harmful ways, impacting both security and functionality. It's a serious breach that could leave your projects vulnerable to all sorts of chaos!

Put simply

Think of this like a hotel concierge who, without verifying your identity, gives you access to the VIP suite simply because you asked nicely. If someone can slip in a special request, they could gain access to all sorts of privileged resources without proper checks. This vulnerability arises from the improper handling of special elements used in command input within GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio, allowing an attacker to send crafted commands that the system improperly executes with elevated privileges.

What to do

An attacker could exploit this to gain elevated privileges, potentially compromising sensitive data and configurations. They could run commands that manipulate your system in harmful ways, impacting both security and functionality. It's a serious breach that could leave your projects vulnerable to all sorts of chaos! To remediate this, update both GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio to their latest secure versions as soon as possible. Additionally, review your user permission settings and audit command executions to ensure no unauthorized access is possible. Staying vigilant is key! You've got this! By taking these steps, you'll reinforce your defenses and keep your code safe. 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
8.0 · HIGH
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
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00903 · 59.4th percentile
Weakness
CWE-77 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Published
2026-02-10T17:51Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 10 FEB 17:51Z
    GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
    cvelistv5