CVE-2024-26165 - Visual Studio Code Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability: Exploit Details, Code Snippets and Original References

With the constant growth and evolution of technology, software vulnerabilities become increasingly prevalent. One such vulnerability, recently discovered in Microsoft Visual Studio Code, involves an elevation of privilege that could allow a threat actor to take malicious actions. Specifically, we're going to delve into CVE-2024-26165: the Visual Studio Code Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. In this comprehensive analysis, we will cover everything from details and impacts to code snippets and original references.

Overview

CVE-2024-26165 is a vulnerability in Visual Studio Code, a highly popular open-source code editor developed by Microsoft. By exploiting this vulnerability, attackers could potentially elevate their privileges within the affected system, thereby leading to unauthorized access or compromising the system's data. The issue arises from improper handling of symbolic links, which allows the elevation to occur.

The following code snippet demonstrates the problematic code found within Visual Studio Code

const fs = require('fs');
const path = require('path');

function checkSymbolicLink(target, callback){
  fs.lstat(target, (err, stats) => {
    if (err) {
      callback(err);
      return;
    }
    if (stats.isSymbolicLink()) {
      fs.readlink(target, (err, linkString) => {
        if (err) {
          callback(err);
        } else {
          callback(null, path.resolve(target, linkString));
        }
      });
    } else {
      callback(null, target);
    }
  });
}

Exploit Details

An attacker exploiting CVE-2024-26165 could create a malicious symbolic link (symlink) that points to a high-privilege file on the target system. Due to the improper handling of symlinks, Visual Studio Code would not recognize the malicious symlink as a threat. Once the attacker has successfully pointed the symlink to the sensitive file, they can modify or delete the file, leading to a range of potential malicious actions.

To exploit the vulnerability, the attacker would need to have local access to the target system and convince an authenticated user to interact with the affected version of Visual Studio Code.

Below is a hypothetical exploitation scenario, showcasing how an attacker might use this vulnerability:

Mitigation and Solutions

As of version 1.63, Microsoft has released a patch to address this vulnerability. All users of Visual Studio Code are advised to upgrade to the latest version, which includes a security fix for this issue. This can be done from within the application or by visiting the official Microsoft Visual Studio Code website here: Visual Studio Code Download.

Moreover, system administrators should establish proper access controls and educate users to avoid interacting with unknown or untrusted sources. This will ensure that authenticated users remain cautious when interacting with potentially suspicious elements.

Original References

1. CVE-2024-26165 - NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2. Microsoft Security Update addressing CVE-2024-26165
3. Visual Studio Code Release Notes - Microsoft

In conclusion, it is crucial to remain vigilant and up-to-date with software patches and updates to prevent vulnerabilities, such as CVE-2024-26165, from being exploited by bad actors. Through proper security practices and software updates, users can continue using Visual Studio Code with a higher level of confidence in their system's security.

Timeline

Published on: 03/12/2024 17:15:55 UTC
Last modified on: 03/12/2024 17:46:17 UTC