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Build ToolsApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2025-26646

HIGH · 8.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.0.16 / 9.0.5 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
External control of file name or path in .NET, Visual Studio, and Build Tools for Visual Studio allows an authorized attacker to perform spoofing over a network.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is a path traversal vulnerability in .NET, Visual Studio, and Build Tools for Visual Studio where an authorized attacker can control file names or paths used by the application. The vulnerability enables spoofing over a network, likely by manipulating file paths to access or create files in unintended locations, potentially leading to code execution or data integrity issues.

MitigationApply Microsoft's security updates for Visual Studio, .NET, and Build Tools once available. Review and restrict file operations to trusted paths, and follow least-privilege principles for build processes.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Build ToolsApplication
Affected:< 17.13.7
Visual Studio 2022Application
Affected:>= 17.8.0, < 17.8.21>= 17.10.0, < 17.10.15>= 17.12.0, < 17.12.8>= 17.13.0, < 17.13.7
.netApplication
Affected:>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.5>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.16

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check .NET SDK version
    Run `dotnet --list-sdks` to list installed .NET SDK versions, or `dotnet --version` for the default SDK
    Affected if Installed .NET SDK version is 8.0.0 through 8.0.15, or 9.0.0 through 9.0.4 (these fall within the affected ranges of >= 8.0.0, < 8.0.16 or >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.5)
  2. Check .NET Runtime version
    Run `dotnet --list-runtimes` to see installed .NET Runtime versions and their major versions
    Affected if Installed .NET Runtime version is 8.0.x where x is 0-15, or 9.0.x where x is 0-4 (within the affected >= 8.0.0, < 8.0.16 or >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.5 ranges)
  3. Check Visual Studio 2022 version via registry
    Query the registry key `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\17.0\InstalledProducts` or use the vswhere tool: `"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer\resources\app\layout\vswhere.exe" -latest -products * -property catalog -format json`
    Affected if Visual Studio 2022 is installed with version 17.8.0 through 17.8.20, 17.10.0 through 17.10.14, 17.12.0 through 17.12.7, or 17.13.0 through 17.13.6 (these match the vulnerable version ranges)
  4. Check Microsoft Build Tools version
    Query the registry key `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\17.0\InstalledProducts` for Build Tools components, or check the installation directory under `C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools` and look for a version file
    Affected if Build Tools version is older than 17.13.7 (the registry key or version file shows a version below the patched 17.13.7)

A system is affected if it has any .NET SDK or Runtime in versions 8.0.0-8.0.15 or 9.0.0-9.0.4, or Visual Studio 2022 in versions 17.8.0-17.8.20/17.10.0-17.10.14/17.12.0-17.12.7/17.13.0-17.13.6, or Build Tools below version 17.13.7 installed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.0.16 / 9.0.5 / 17.8.21 or later
Fixed in 8.0.169.0.517.8.21
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft's security updates for Visual Studio, .NET, and Build Tools once available. Review and restrict file operations to trusted paths, and follow least-privilege principles for build processes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Visual Studio 2022: 17.13.7 (or 17.8.21/17.10.15/17.12.8 minimum per branch); Build Tools: 17.13.7; .NET: 8.0.16 or 9.0.5

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed version of Visual Studio 2022, Build Tools for Visual Studio, or .NET SDK on the system
  2. 2. For .NET users: If using .NET 8.0.x, upgrade to .NET 8.0.16 or later. If using .NET 9.0.x, upgrade to .NET 9.0.5 or later
  3. 3. For Visual Studio 2022 users: Install version 17.13.7 (or the latest 17.x release), or for specific branch updates: 17.8.21+, 17.10.15+, or 17.12.8+ depending on your current branch
  4. 4. For Build Tools for Visual Studio users: Install version 17.13.7 or later
  5. 5. Verify the installation by checking the updated version number in the product or via `dotnet --version` for .NET SDK
  6. 6. Test critical build and development workflows to ensure the update does not introduce regressions
Caveat Standard .NET/Visual Studio minor version upgrades typically have high backward compatibility, but review release notes for any breaking changes in your specific version path

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Build Tools Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-26646 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data