CVE-2025-68269 Overview
CVE-2025-68269 affects JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA versions prior to 2025.3. The integrated development environment (IDE) fails to prompt for user confirmation before opening untrusted remote projects over Secure Shell (SSH). This missing safeguard allows an attacker-controlled remote project to be loaded without the trust dialog that normally protects developers from executing untrusted build scripts or configurations. The weakness is categorized under [CWE-349] (Acceptance of Extraneous Untrusted Data With Trusted Data). Exploitation requires user interaction, such as convincing a developer to connect to a malicious SSH host or open a crafted project path.
Critical Impact
A successful attack can lead to limited confidentiality and integrity impact on the developer workstation when an untrusted remote project is silently opened over SSH.
Affected Products
- JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA versions before 2025.3
- All editions of IntelliJ IDEA using SSH-based remote development
- Environments where developers open remote projects hosted on third-party SSH servers
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-12-16 - CVE-2025-68269 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-68269
Vulnerability Analysis
IntelliJ IDEA includes a Project Trust mechanism. This feature warns developers before opening a project from an untrusted source and blocks automatic execution of build scripts, Gradle configurations, and code inspections until the user explicitly approves the project. The vulnerability stems from the trust confirmation step being skipped when a project is opened over SSH. As a result, remote projects load with the same privileges as trusted local projects.
An attacker who controls or influences a remote SSH-accessible project can embed malicious build configurations. When a developer opens the project, the IDE processes these configurations without a trust prompt. The impact is limited but includes potential exposure of local files, source code, or credentials accessible to the IDE process.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing confirmation check in the SSH remote project opening workflow. The trust dialog present for other project sources does not execute in this code path, permitting untrusted data to be treated as trusted [CWE-349].
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires social engineering. An attacker must convince a developer to open a remote project hosted on an SSH server the attacker controls. This can occur through a shared repository link, a phishing message referencing a remote development host, or a compromised internal SSH server. No authentication to the target IDE is required from the attacker, but user interaction is mandatory.
No verified public proof-of-concept code is available for this issue. Refer to the JetBrains Security Issues Fixed advisory for vendor details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-68269
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected SSH connections initiated by idea or JetBrains IDE processes to external hosts
- New or modified Gradle, Maven, or build script files loaded from remote project directories
- IDE child processes spawning shell commands, compilers, or scripting interpreters shortly after a remote project is opened
Detection Strategies
- Inventory installed IntelliJ IDEA versions across developer workstations and flag any build below 2025.3
- Monitor endpoint telemetry for JetBrains IDE processes establishing SSH sessions to unapproved hosts
- Correlate remote project opens with subsequent execution of build tooling such as gradlew, mvn, or Python scripts
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable command-line logging on developer endpoints to capture parameters passed to IDE-launched processes
- Alert on new outbound SSH connections from workstations that do not typically use remote development
- Review IDE logs under the idea.log path for entries indicating remote project loads without trust prompts
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-68269
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade IntelliJ IDEA to version 2025.3 or later on all developer workstations
- Restrict SSH remote development to a curated allowlist of internal, authenticated hosts
- Instruct developers to avoid opening remote projects received from untrusted or unsolicited sources
Patch Information
JetBrains addressed CVE-2025-68269 in IntelliJ IDEA 2025.3. The fix restores the Project Trust confirmation dialog when opening remote projects over SSH. Full remediation details are available in the JetBrains Security Issues Fixed bulletin.
Workarounds
- Disable or avoid the SSH remote development workflow until the IDE is updated
- Open remote projects only from SSH hosts under organizational control
- Enforce endpoint policies that block IDE-initiated SSH connections to unapproved destinations
# Verify installed IntelliJ IDEA version on Linux/macOS
idea --version
# Example: block outbound SSH from developer workstations to non-corporate ranges
# (adjust to your environment)
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -d 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j REJECT
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
