Vulnerability · Published Feb 9, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-25931vscode-spell-checker has a workspace-trust bypass Code Execution
High 7.8
In plain English
A high-severity incorrect default permissions in vscode-spell-checker from streetsidesoftware. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.1% (higher than 4% of all known vulnerabilities).
Official description
vscode-spell-checker is a basic spell checker that works well with code and documents. Prior to v4.5.4, DocumentSettings._determineIsTrusted treats the configuration value cSpell.trustedWorkspace as the authoritative trust flag. The value defaults to true (package.json) and is read from workspace configuration each time settings are fetched. The code coerces any truthy value to true and forwards it to ConfigLoader.setIsTrusted , which in turn allows JavaScript/TypeScript configuration files ( .cspell.config.js/.mjs/.ts , etc.) to be located and executed. Because no VS Code workspace-trust state is consulted, an untrusted workspace can keep the flag true and place a malicious .cspell.config.js ; opening the workspace causes the extension host to execute attacker-controlled Node.js code with the user’s privileges. This vulnerability is fixed in v4.5.4.
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| streetsidesoftware | vscode-spell-checker | < 4.5.4 |
Weakness: CWE-276, CWE-807, CWE-829 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://github.com/streetsidesoftware/vscode-spell-checker/security/advisories/GHSA-mggq-68mr-58vj x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/streetsidesoftware/vscode-spell-checker/commit/f39af9a3a6f2a939a57171a24161ed735d41c575 x_refsource_MISC
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mT4SOkkHSHU6NFfKwekysydAd3FUAC6K/view?usp=sharing x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/streetsidesoftware/vscode-spell-checker/releases/tag/code-spell-checker-v4.5.4 x_refsource_MISC