---
id: CVE-2026-102238
title: >-
  Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory ('path traversal')
  in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a
  network.
summary: >-
  Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory ('path traversal')
  in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a
  network.
severity: critical
cvss: 9.6
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-22
vendor: Microsoft
product: Visual Studio Code
affected:
  - visual_studio_code >= 1.0.0 < 1.141.1
published: '2026-10-13'
updated: '2026-10-15'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-15T20:39:54.150'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102238'
references:
  - url: 'https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-102238'
    label: secure@microsoft.com
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00817
epssPercentile: 0.56922
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-10-13T21:14:58.475351Z'
ingestedAt: '2026-10-13T20:53:44.618Z'
---

## Overview

Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory ('path traversal') in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.