CVE-2021-27082
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Quantum Development Kit for Visual Studio Code allows remote code execution when a user opens a specially crafted malicious project file. It affects developers using the Quantum Development Kit extension in Visual Studio Code. Attackers could execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user.
💻 Affected Systems
- Microsoft Quantum Development Kit for Visual Studio Code
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the user running Visual Studio Code, potentially leading to data theft, lateral movement, or persistence.
Likely Case
Local file system access, credential theft from the user's environment, and installation of malware or backdoors.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to user account restrictions, but still potential for data exfiltration from accessible files.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious project file. No authentication bypass needed beyond tricking user.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 0.18.2106.138911 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-27082
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Visual Studio Code. 2. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X). 3. Find 'Quantum Development Kit' extension. 4. Click Update or reinstall to get version 0.18.2106.138911+. 5. Restart Visual Studio Code.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Quantum Development Kit Extension
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable extension until patching is possible
code --disable-extension microsoft.quantum
Restrict Project File Sources
allOnly open Quantum project files from trusted sources
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Run Visual Studio Code with minimal user privileges (not as administrator/root)
- Use application whitelisting to prevent execution of unexpected binaries
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Quantum Development Kit extension version in Visual Studio Code Extensions viewCheck Version:
code --list-extensions --show-versions | findstr quantumVerify Fix Applied:
Verify extension version is 0.18.2106.138911 or higher📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected process execution from Visual Studio Code
- Suspicious file operations in user directories
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Visual Studio Code process
SIEM Query:
Process Creation where ParentImage contains 'Code.exe' and CommandLine contains suspicious patterns