Security Resilience

CVE-2023-29338

Access Control in Microsoft Visual Studio Code ≤ 1.78.1

Published
09 May 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.6
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0088 58th percentile
Risk Priority 57 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-29338 is a medium-severity Improper Authorization (CWE-285) vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio Code. Its CVSS base score is 6.6 (Medium).

Operationally, ranked in the top 42% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2023-29338 is a spoofing vulnerability affecting Visual Studio Code, assigned a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.6 under vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N and linked to CWE-285. It was published on 9 May 2023.

An attacker with local access and low privileges can exploit the flaw when user interaction occurs, resulting in high impact to confidentiality and integrity on the affected system.

Advisory and patch details are published by Microsoft at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-29338.

The EPSS score rose from a low baseline to a peak of 0.0762 on 22 January 2025 before receding to the current value of 0.0314, indicating post-disclosure exploitation interest.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Visual Studio Code Spoofing Vulnerability

CWE(s)

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-24893Same product: Microsoft Visual Studio Code
CVE-2024-26165Same product: Microsoft Visual Studio Code
CVE-2023-36742Same product: Microsoft Visual Studio Code
CVE-2023-33144Same product: Microsoft Visual Studio Code
CVE-2023-21779Same product: Microsoft Visual Studio Code
CVE-2026-58611Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2024-43602Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2024-38231Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2026-62835Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2023-32022Same vendor: Microsoft

Affected Assets

microsoft
visual studio code
≤ 1.78.1

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-285

Documented procedures facilitate correct implementation and ongoing management of authorization decisions.

addresses: CWE-285

Periodic reviews identify and correct flaws in authorization decisions or enforcement.

addresses: CWE-285

The control's documentation requirement reduces improper authorization by ensuring only mission-justified actions bypass authentication.

addresses: CWE-285

Establishing permitted attributes and values, plus auditing changes, ensures authorization decisions are based on correctly managed policy data.

addresses: CWE-285

Explicitly mandates authorizing remote access types before permitting connections, directly mitigating improper authorization.

addresses: CWE-285

The control explicitly requires authorization of each wireless access type prior to permitting connections.

addresses: CWE-285

Mandating explicit authorization of mobile device connections reduces the risk of improper authorization decisions for system access.

addresses: CWE-285

Specifying access authorizations for each account and requiring approvals for account requests enforces proper authorization decisions.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

blocks

A.5.1 only requires the existence of an overarching policy and topic-specific policies (including on access control); it does not itself perform or enforce any authorization check, so the CWE-285 weakness can still be exploited.

blocks

Mapping access rights to information classification and business requirements forces correct enforcement of authorization decisions, blocking the incorrect authorization weakness at the policy and implementation stage.

finds

Independent reviewers evaluate whether authorization logic matches policy, thereby reducing the window in which incorrect or missing authorization checks remain in production.

finds

By requiring managers to verify that authorization decisions match policy and to remediate deviations, the control limits the persistence of incorrect or missing authorization checks.

blocks

Requiring authorization processes and privilege assignments to be specified during project initiation prevents downstream components from receiving overly broad or incorrect rights that would allow unauthorized actions.

blocks

A.8.3 directly mandates and configures the authorization mechanisms (identity/group rights, dynamic access rules, isolation, credential enforcement) that stop CWE-285 exploitation; the bounded remainder is non-authorization exposure vectors such as error messages or observable discrepancies.

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

  • No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-285, a class-level weakness. Rules are authored against its narrower children: CWE-552.

References