CVE-2021-21420
📋 TL;DR
The vscode-stripe extension for Visual Studio Code contains a vulnerability where loading untrusted repositories with malicious settings could allow arbitrary code execution. This affects developers using the vulnerable extension version. Attackers could exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious source code repositories.
💻 Affected Systems
- vscode-stripe Visual Studio Code extension
📦 What is this software?
Stripe by Stripe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the current user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation within the developer environment, allowing access to sensitive files, credentials, or development artifacts.
If Mitigated
No impact if extension is updated or disabled, or if users only open trusted repositories.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires social engineering to get user to open malicious repository. No public exploit code identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.5.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/stripe/vscode-stripe/security/advisories/GHSA-j6x4-4622-8vv3
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Visual Studio Code. 2. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X). 3. Search for 'Stripe'. 4. Click Update or reinstall the extension. 5. Restart Visual Studio Code.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable extension
allTemporarily disable the vscode-stripe extension until patched
code --disable-extension stripe.vscode-stripe
Restrict repository sources
allOnly open trusted repositories and avoid unknown/unverified sources
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the vscode-stripe extension completely
- Implement strict source control policies to only open verified repositories
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check extension version in VS Code Extensions view. If version is below 1.5.0, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
code --list-extensions --show-versions | findstr stripeVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm extension version is 1.5.0 or higher in Extensions view.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual extension activity, unexpected repository loading, abnormal process execution from VS Code
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from VS Code process
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent process contains 'code' and command line contains suspicious patterns