Vulnerabilities In GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Enable Attackers To Bypass Security Features

In the fast-evolving world of AI-assisted coding, tools like GitHub Copilot have become indispensable for developers, streamlining workflows within environments such as Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code).

However, a newly disclosed vulnerability in the VS Code CoPilot Chat Extension underscores the risks of integrating AI into sensitive development pipelines. On November 11, 2025, Microsoft released details on CVE-2025-62449.

This security feature bypass flaw leverages path traversal techniques to circumvent protections around sensitive files.

This issue, rated as “Important” with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.8, highlights ongoing challenges in securing AI-driven IDE extensions against local attacks.

Discovered by security researcher Philip Tsukerman from CyberArk, the vulnerability stems from an improper limitation of pathnames to restricted directories (CWE-22).

In essence, it allows an authorized attacker with low privileges to trick the extension into accessing files outside its intended sandbox.

While GitHub Copilot itself isn’t directly named in the CVE, the CoPilot Chat Extension tightly integrated with Copilot features in VS Code serves as the entry point.

This bypass could expose proprietary code, API keys, or configuration files that developers rely on for secure coding sessions.

The attack requires local access, low complexity, and user interaction, making it feasible in shared development environments or compromised endpoints.

According to Microsoft’s exploitability assessment, exploitation remains “less likely” as no public exploits exist yet.

However, the potential for significant impacts on confidentiality and integrity is alarming.

An attacker could view sensitive information or modify repository code, potentially injecting malicious snippets that propagate through AI suggestions.

Technical Breakdown Of CVE-2025-62449

At its core, CVE-2025-62449 exploits a path traversal vulnerability in how the CoPilot Chat Extension handles file paths during interactions.

When users query the AI for code completions or explanations, the extension processes user input that may include malicious path sequences, such as “../”.

These bypass VS Code’s built-in safeguards, granting read/write access to restricted directories, such as those containing .env files or SSH keys.

The CVSS metrics paint a clear picture: a local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), and low required privileges (PR:L) mean that even a standard user on the system could trigger it with minimal effort perhaps by pasting a crafted prompt into the chat interface.

User interaction (UI: R) is needed for example, clicking to execute a suggestion but in collaborative settings, this lowers the bar significantly.

Scope remains unchanged (S: U), focusing on the impact on the extension itself, yet the high confidentiality (C: H) and integrity (I: H) scores indicate severe risks: attackers could exfiltrate intellectual property or alter source code undetected.

Microsoft’s analysis confirms that successful exploitation bypasses VS Code’s sensitive-file protections a feature designed to shield against accidental or malicious disclosures in AI contexts.

No evidence of in-the-wild exploitation has surfaced, but the unproven exploit code maturity (E: U) leaves room for rapid weaponization by threat actors targeting developer tools.

Implications For Developers and Mitigation Strategies

This vulnerability arrives at a precarious time, as AI coding assistants like Copilot see widespread adoption in enterprises.

For cybersecurity professionals and content creators tracking threats, it serves as a reminder that AI integrations can introduce novel attack surfaces, blending human oversight with automated behaviors.

The low availability impact (A:L) suggests minimal denial-of-service potential. However, the real danger lies in stealthy data leaks or code tampering that could fuel downstream supply chain attacks.

Microsoft has addressed the issue in CoPilot Chat Extension version 0.32.5, available via the VS Code marketplace and detailed in release notes on GitHub.

Developers should update immediately, verify build numbers, and review extension permissions.

Best practices include isolating AI tools in virtual environments, auditing chat inputs for path-like strings, and enabling VS Code’s workspace trust features.

CyberArk’s coordinated disclosure exemplifies effective vulnerability hunting, and organizations should monitor CISA alerts for related threats.

As AI evolves, securing these tools demands vigilance. This CVE reinforces that even “helpful” extensions require robust path validation to prevent traversal pitfalls.