CVE-2026-22718: Spring CLI VSCode Extension RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-22718 Overview

CVE-2026-22718 is a command injection vulnerability affecting the VSCode extension for Spring CLI. This security flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands on a user's machine through improper handling of user-supplied input. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), enabling malicious actors to inject and execute system commands within the context of the VSCode extension.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the victim's machine, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data, system compromise, and lateral movement within development environments.

Affected Products

• VSCode Extension for Spring CLI

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-14 - CVE-2026-22718 published to NVD
• 2026-01-14 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-22718

Vulnerability Analysis

This command injection vulnerability exists in the VSCode extension for Spring CLI, where user-controlled input is passed directly to system command execution functions without proper sanitization or validation. The attack requires local access and user interaction, meaning an attacker must either have local access to the system or trick a user into performing an action that triggers the malicious command.

The vulnerability allows for high impact to both confidentiality and integrity, as successful exploitation grants the attacker the ability to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the user running VSCode. This could lead to exfiltration of sensitive development credentials, source code, or other confidential information stored on the developer's machine.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands (CWE-78). The VSCode extension fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before incorporating it into system commands executed through the Spring CLI integration. This allows specially crafted input containing shell metacharacters or command separators to break out of the intended command context and execute additional malicious commands.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to have some form of local presence or the ability to influence the victim's actions. Exploitation scenarios include:

1. Malicious Project Files: An attacker could craft a Spring project with specially named files or configuration values that, when processed by the extension, trigger command injection
2. Social Engineering: Tricking a developer into opening a malicious project or importing configuration that contains injection payloads
3. Supply Chain Attack: Compromising a shared project repository with malicious configuration that triggers the vulnerability when developers clone and work with the project

The vulnerability requires low privileges and some user interaction to exploit, but successful exploitation results in high confidentiality and integrity impact with limited availability impact.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-22718

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected child processes spawned by VSCode or the Spring CLI extension process
• Unusual command-line arguments containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &, $(), backticks) in Spring CLI-related processes
• Suspicious network connections originating from the VSCode process

Detection Strategies

• Monitor process creation events for child processes of VSCode with suspicious command-line arguments
• Implement endpoint detection rules for command injection patterns in developer tools
• Review VSCode extension logs for anomalous Spring CLI command executions
• Deploy behavioral analysis to detect unusual system command execution patterns from IDE processes

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for VSCode extension activities
• Configure EDR solutions to monitor for shell escape sequences in process arguments
• Implement file integrity monitoring on development workstations for unauthorized changes
• Set up alerts for unusual outbound connections from development environments

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-22718

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the VSCode extension for Spring CLI to the latest patched version
• Review and audit any recently opened Spring projects for suspicious configuration or file names
• Temporarily disable the Spring CLI VSCode extension until a patch can be applied
• Scan development machines for indicators of compromise

Patch Information

Spring has released a security advisory addressing this vulnerability. Users should update to the latest version of the VSCode extension for Spring CLI that contains the fix for CVE-2026-22718. Refer to the Spring Security Advisory CVE-2026-22718 for specific version information and patch details.

Workarounds

• Disable the Spring CLI VSCode extension until a patched version is available
• Avoid opening untrusted Spring projects or projects from unknown sources
• Configure VSCode to run in restricted mode when working with external projects
• Use container-based development environments to isolate potential command execution impacts

# Disable the Spring CLI extension via command line
code --disable-extension vmware.vscode-spring-cli

# Verify extension is disabled
code --list-extensions | grep -i spring