# CVE-2026-78462 — Microsoft Visual Studio Code

> As of 2026-10-08, CVE-2026-78462 is a HIGH-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio Code, CVSS v3.1 8.8, EPSS 0.7% (53.8th percentile). Threadlinqs Intelligence links 1 tracked threat campaign to CVE-2026-78462, most recently “Microsoft September 2026 Patch Tuesday — 999 CVEs, 3 actively exploited zero-days (CVE-2026-85880, CVE-2026-81963, CVE-2026-85046)”.

**Last updated:** 2026-10-08

## What is CVE-2026-78462?

Authorization bypass through user-controlled key in Visual Studio Code allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature over a network.

The record classifies CVE-2026-78462 under weakness class [CWE-639](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/cwe/CWE-639). Its CVSS v3 base vector states that the flaw is reachable remotely over the network, needs no prior authentication, needs a user to take an action first, and has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability. 1 affected-product entry is recorded, across 1 vendor, listed below. The identifier was first published 44 days ago.

## Severity and exploitation probability

- **CVSS v3.1 base score:** 8.8 — HIGH (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C`)
- **EPSS (FIRST):** 0.7% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 53.8% of all scored CVEs
- **CISA KEV:** Not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- **Threadlinqs priority:** 6.6/10 — a Threadlinqs composite of the CVSS base score, the EPSS percentile and public exploit availability
- **Published:** 2026-09-08, last modified 2026-10-08

## Is CVE-2026-78462 being exploited?

It currently carries a trending score of 40 in the Threadlinqs vulnerability feed.

## Affected products and versions

- [Microsoft](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/vendors/microsoft): Visual Studio Code

## How to fix CVE-2026-78462

No vendor patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2026-78462 in the tracked sources. Follow the references below for a fix, and treat the products listed above as exposed until the vendor states otherwise.

## Threat activity tracking CVE-2026-78462

1 tracked threat in the Threadlinqs corpus references CVE-2026-78462, either in the campaign’s CVE list or as an indicator on the campaign record.

- [Microsoft September 2026 Patch Tuesday — 999 CVEs, 3 actively exploited zero-days (CVE-2026-85880, CVE-2026-81963, CVE-2026-85046)](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/threat/TL-2026-2407) — CRITICAL · 2026-09-08

## Sources

Enriched from CVE.org, FIRST EPSS. Last verified by Threadlinqs on 2026-10-10.

**Vendor advisory and patch**

- [msrc.microsoft.com — vendor advisory](https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-78462)

Canonical: https://intel.threadlinqs.com/cve/CVE-2026-78462
Full detection coverage and IOCs for threats exploiting CVE-2026-78462 via the Threadlinqs MCP server (Purple tier): https://intel.threadlinqs.com/mcp