Skip to main content
HIGH

CVE-2026-54525

CVSS v3

8.8

HIGH

EPSS Score

0.4 %

exploit probability, as of 2026-10-16

CISA KEV

No

known exploited

Exploitation

—

SSVC status

Get an alert for each new CVE published for the software you run. Set up CVE Watch Free account · no credit card

Affected and fixed versions

Neither OSV.dev nor the vendor advisories we read list affected versions for CVE-2026-54525 yet.

Full record on NVD

Description

Markdown Preview Enhanced is a Markdown preview extension for Visual Studio Code. Prior to 0.8.28, Markdown Preview Enhanced preview-link handling passes a decoded, Markdown-controlled link target to a Windows file-opening helper that invokes child_process.exec with the start command. When a Windows user opens an untrusted Markdown file and clicks a crafted external or unsupported-scheme link, shell metacharacters in the decoded target are interpreted by cmd.exe as command separators, allowing an attacker-selected command to run with the privileges of the current VS Code user. The attack requires one normal preview-link click but does not require malicious workspace configuration, script execution to be enabled, or additional files. This issue is fixed in version 0.8.28.

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published
2026-10-14
Last Modified
2026-10-15

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-54525?

Markdown Preview Enhanced is a Markdown preview extension for Visual Studio Code. Prior to 0.8.28, Markdown Preview Enhanced preview-link handling passes a decoded, Markdown-controlled link target to a Windows file-opening helper that invokes child_process.exec with the start command. When a Windows user opens an untrusted Markdown file and clicks a crafted external or unsupported-scheme link, shell metacharacters in the decoded target are interpreted by cmd.exe as command separators, allowing an attacker-selected command to run with the privileges of the current VS Code user. The attack requires one normal preview-link click but does not require malicious workspace configuration, script execution to be enabled, or additional files. This issue is fixed in version 0.8.28.

Is CVE-2026-54525 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2026-54525 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 0.4% on 2026-10-16, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-54525?

CVE-2026-54525 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Hear about the next vulnerability in your software

CVE Watch matches each new CVE to the vendors and products you list (vendor and product, not the version) and puts it in your alerts with its KEV and EPSS status.

Get alerts for this productCISA KEV additions, October 2026Search CVEs

Already have an account? Open CVE WatchNo credit card required · 50 free checks/month · Free API key

Go further

Related vulnerabilities

Same product first, then the same vendor advisory and the same publication week.

Back to CVE Database