CVE-2025-24039 Overview
CVE-2025-24039 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio Code. The flaw is classified under [CWE-427] Uncontrolled Search Path Element, a class of weakness commonly associated with DLL search-order hijacking. A local, authenticated attacker with low privileges can leverage the vulnerability to gain higher privileges on the host, provided a user is tricked into executing a crafted action.
Microsoft published the advisory on February 11, 2025. No public proof-of-concept code has been released, and the issue is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Critical Impact
A successful exploit allows an attacker with local access to elevate privileges by causing Visual Studio Code to load a malicious binary from an attacker-controlled search path, resulting in high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Affected Products
- Microsoft Visual Studio Code (versions prior to the February 2025 security update)
- Visual Studio Code installations on Windows platforms
- Any developer workstation running unpatched Code.exe
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-02-11 - CVE-2025-24039 published to NVD with Microsoft advisory
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-24039
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is an uncontrolled search path element weakness in Visual Studio Code. When the application loads a dependency, it resolves the module using a search order that can include attacker-writable locations. If a malicious library with the expected name is present earlier in the search order, Code.exe loads it into its process space. The loaded code executes with the privileges of the Visual Studio Code process, which typically runs under the invoking user.
The attack requires local access, low privileges, and user interaction. An attacker plants a crafted binary in a directory searched during module resolution, then waits for the target user to launch Visual Studio Code or a specific feature that triggers the load. Because Visual Studio Code is frequently launched by developers with elevated tokens or from privileged contexts, the resulting execution can cross privilege boundaries.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper control of the library or component search path within the Visual Studio Code process. The application resolves at least one dependency without a fully qualified path or without restricting the search to trusted system directories. This allows a same-user, low-privilege actor to influence which binary is loaded.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local presence on the target host. The attacker writes a malicious library to a directory that appears earlier in the search order than the legitimate location. When the victim launches Visual Studio Code or performs an action that triggers loading of the affected component, the process maps the attacker-supplied binary. Code within the malicious library executes with the victim's token, enabling privilege escalation when the victim account has rights the attacker does not.
No verified public exploit code is available. Refer to the Microsoft CVE-2025-24039 Advisory for vendor guidance.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24039
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected dynamic-link library files present in the Visual Studio Code installation directory or in a user-writable directory adjacent to Code.exe
- Loaded modules under Code.exe originating from user profile paths such as %APPDATA%, %TEMP%, or Downloads
- Child processes spawned by Code.exe that perform reconnaissance, credential access, or persistence actions
- File writes to the Visual Studio Code install path by non-installer processes
Detection Strategies
- Monitor image load events for Code.exe and flag modules loaded from non-standard paths outside the signed installation directory
- Alert on file creation of DLLs in directories preceding the legitimate module location in the Windows search order
- Correlate Visual Studio Code process launches with subsequent anomalous process trees or network activity
- Baseline the set of libraries loaded by Code.exe in the environment and detect deviations
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable Sysmon event ID 7 (Image Loaded) with filtering on Code.exe and unsigned or user-writable module sources
- Audit directory permissions on the Visual Studio Code installation path and user extension directories
- Track version telemetry across developer endpoints to confirm patched builds are deployed
- Review EDR telemetry for module load anomalies against Visual Studio Code processes
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24039
Immediate Actions Required
- Update Visual Studio Code to the patched version released in the February 2025 Microsoft security update cycle
- Inventory developer endpoints running Visual Studio Code and prioritize patching hosts used by administrators or CI/CD operators
- Restrict write permissions on the Visual Studio Code installation directory to administrative accounts only
- Remove any unexpected DLL files from directories that fall within the process search order
Patch Information
Microsoft has released a fix documented in the Microsoft CVE-2025-24039 Advisory. Apply the vendor-supplied update to all Visual Studio Code installations. Visual Studio Code's built-in auto-update mechanism will retrieve the corrected build; environments with automatic updates disabled require manual deployment through configuration management tooling.
Workarounds
- Until patching is complete, launch Visual Studio Code only from the fully qualified installation path and avoid running it from user-writable working directories
- Enforce application allowlisting to prevent unsigned DLLs from loading into Code.exe
- Apply least-privilege principles so developer accounts do not hold administrative rights on shared or production systems
- Audit and remove world-writable directories that appear in the DLL search order for interactive user sessions
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
