TC-2025-0020 · VSCODE · PACKAGE

[email protected]

CVE-2025-53773 (CVSS 7.8): prompt injection in untrusted source files or issues instructs Copilot to append chat.tools.autoApprove=true into .vscode/settings.json, enabling arbitrary shell execution.

Primary advisory (Embrace The Red (Johann Rehberger) / MSRC) Back to all 66 records

Signed ledger verdict

TC-2025-0020

Known bad (exit 2) vscode:[email protected]

IOC & scope: vscode:[email protected] (CVE-2025-53773). Verified by human review and signed into the CC-BY 4.0 OSV v1.6.0 feed.

Credited finder: Embrace The Red (Johann Rehberger) / MSRC ↗
Recorded timestamp: 2025-08-13
Canonical SHA-256: 7f470fd621d04812…
Local hook action: Block (exit 2)

Run live in Counter Workbench

Signed in /feed.json (.sig).

01 8-Vector Capability X-Ray (ABOM) & OWASP Agentic Crosswalk

Deterministic capability profile and taxonomy mapping.

Every artifact in the threat.cafe ledger is profiled across eight execution vectors and mapped to the OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications (ASI01-ASI10) and Agentic Skills & Tools (AST01-AST10).

8-Vector Capability X-Ray (ABOM)

1. Filesystem
Sensitive paths touched: .vscode/settings.json, .vscode/tasks.json
2. Environment
Variables harvested: None observed
3. Network
Outbound egress domains: None observed
4. Subprocess
Process execution primitives: chat.tools.autoApprove: true -> arbitrary terminal execution
5. Lifecycle
Install / startup hooks: None observed
6. OAuth / MCP
Declared scopes: None observed
7. Obfuscation
Encoding / steganography: None observed
8. Provenance
Attestation status: vulnerable_release_cve_2025_53773

Governance & detector mapping

OWASP Agentic ASI (2026): ASI01 (Agent Goal Hijack), ASI02 (Tool Misuse & Exploitation), ASI05 (Unexpected Code Execution (RCE))
OWASP Agentic AST (2026): AST02 (Tool & Skill Injection), AST05 (Sandbox Escape & Local Execution)
Deterministic rules matched: CONFIG_05_REPO_HOOK_RCE, RUNTIME_02_CONFIG_WRITE_FIREWALL

Version scoping & related records

No other versions of this package are currently listed on the board. Unlisted versions evaluate to unknown under local policy.yml.

Local CLI verification

$ threat-cafe-hook check "vscode:[email protected]"
[threat.cafe] known_bad: vscode:[email protected] (TC-2025-0020)
  Reason: CVE-2025-53773 (CVSS 7.8): prompt injection in untrusted source files or issues instructs 
  Source: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-53773 (credited to Embrace The Red (Johann Rehberger) / MSRC)

OSV v1.6.0 machine-readable record

Included in /feed.json under CC-BY 4.0 license and verified by /feed.json.sig.

{
  "schema_version": "1.6.0",
  "id": "TC-2025-0020",
  "modified": "2025-08-13T18:00:00Z",
  "published": "2025-08-13T18:00:00Z",
  "summary": "CVE-2025-53773 (CVSS 7.8): prompt injection in untrusted source files or issues instructs Copilot to append chat.tools.autoApprove=true into .vscode/settings.json, enabling arbitrary shell execution.",
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "vscode",
        "name": "github.copilot-chat"
      },
      "versions": [
        "0.29.0"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "credits": [
    {
      "name": "Embrace The Red (Johann Rehberger) / MSRC",
      "type": "FINDER"
    }
  ],
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-53773"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://threat.cafe/incidents/tc-2025-0020/"
    }
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "target": "vscode:[email protected]",
    "kind": "package",
    "verdict": "known_bad",
    "ioc": "vscode:[email protected] (CVE-2025-53773)",
    "artifact_sha256": "7f470fd621d0481283960a85439c043162aff69dadad9c0328e38c7a93566a59",
    "owasp_asi": [
      "ASI01",
      "ASI02",
      "ASI05"
    ],
    "owasp_ast": [
      "AST02",
      "AST05"
    ],
    "rules_matched": [
      "CONFIG_05_REPO_HOOK_RCE",
      "RUNTIME_02_CONFIG_WRITE_FIREWALL"
    ],
    "abom": {
      "fs_sensitive": [
        ".vscode/settings.json",
        ".vscode/tasks.json"
      ],
      "env_harvest": [],
      "net_egress": [],
      "proc_exec": [
        "chat.tools.autoApprove: true -> arbitrary terminal execution"
      ],
      "install_hooks": [],
      "oauth_scopes": [],
      "obfuscation": [],
      "provenance": "vulnerable_release_cve_2025_53773"
    },
    "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
    "record_digest": "sha256:e67873884368b0c8c034f057d04bc7f9f256ddd7a0d5732201cd3993206e2b42",
    "release_signature_url": "https://threat.cafe/feed.json.sig"
  }
}

Have additional IOCs or a maintainer remediation update for TC-2025-0020?

Maintainer disputes and version-scoping updates are reviewed by a human within our 48-hour dispute SLA.

Submit update or dispute Read 48h dispute policy