VS Code has a built-in AI feature (called “Agentic AI”) that can help you write code. This vulnerability is a “command injection” flaw. That’s a fancy way of saying: a hacker can trick the AI into running harmful commands on your computer, as if the hacker was sitting at your keyboard.
Uploading a malicious .vsix file is the practical way attackers weaponize the underlying flaw in CVE-2025-55319.
CVE-2025-55319 is the security hole in your house (a vulnerability in VS Code’s “Agentic AI” that lets it be tricked into running commands). The malicious .vsix file is the key the burglar uses to open that hole and get inside.
Here’s the step-by-step breakdown of how they connect in a real attack:
- The Setup (Creating the Weapon): An attacker creates a malicious VS Code extension (a
.vsix file). This extension is designed to exploit the CVE flaw.
- The Delivery (Uploading the VSIX): The attacker finds a way to place this malicious
.vsix file somewhere your VS Code will look. In a real-world example, they uploaded it to a shared company folder called “Dev”.
- The Trigger (Exploiting the CVE): This is where CVE-2025-55319 comes in. The vulnerability allows the attacker to trick VS Code’s AI into automatically executing commands. The attacker uses this flaw to force your VS Code to automatically install the malicious
.vsix extension without asking for your permission.
- The Result (RCE): Once installed, the malicious extension runs on your machine. The attacker can now execute any command they want—stealing code, installing malware, or taking full control of your computer.
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