Vulnerability record · CVE-2019-16765 · published 25 November 2019
CVE-2019-16765: Microsoft codeql path traversal vulnerability
Microsoft · Codeql
If an attacker can get a user to open a specially prepared directory tree as a workspace in Visual Studio Code with the CodeQL extension active, arbitrary code of the attacker's choosing may be executed on the user's behalf. This is fixed in version 1.0.1 of the extension. Users should upgrade to this version using Visual Studio Code Marketplace's upgrade mechanism. After upgrading, the codeQL.cli.executablePath setting can only be set in the per-user settings, and not in the per-workspace settings. More information about VS Code settings can be found here.
Description
If an attacker can get a user to open a specially prepared directory tree as a workspace in Visual Studio Code with the CodeQL extension active, arbitrary code of the attacker's choosing may be executed on the user's behalf. This is fixed in version 1.0.1 of the extension. Users should upgrade to this version using Visual Studio Code Marketplace's upgrade mechanism. After upgrading, the codeQL.cli.executablePath setting can only be set in the per-user settings, and not in the per-workspace settings. More information about VS Code settings can be found here.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected products
1 vulnerable configurations from NVD's CPE data, grouped by vendor and product.
References
| Link | Tags |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/blob/v1.0.1/CHANGELOG.md | Release Notes |
| https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/pull/174 | PatchThird Party Advisory |
| https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/security/advisories/GHSA-wf4x-8mpj-r42q | Third Party Advisory |
| https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/blob/v1.0.1/CHANGELOG.md | Release Notes |
| https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/pull/174 | PatchThird Party Advisory |
| https://github.com/github/vscode-codeql/security/advisories/GHSA-wf4x-8mpj-r42q | Third Party Advisory |
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Related vulnerabilities
Same products first, then exploited flaws of the same weakness class.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database (record CVE-2019-16765), CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS (scores of 2026-09-26). This page is refreshed as NVD updates the record.