Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a high-severity remote code execution issue in Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code Remote - Containers extension. A successful attack could let code run with serious confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, but the provided data indicates local attack conditions and user interaction are required.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority developer workstation risk, especially where engineers handle secrets or production access. It is not currently evidenced as actively exploited in the supplied sources.
Technical view
CVE-2021-31213 affects Microsoft Visual Studio Code Remote - Containers Extension version 1.0.0. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8 with AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. The bundle indicates an official remediation exists, but does not provide fixed version details.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on developer workstations or build environments using the vulnerable Remote - Containers extension version. The source bundle does not prove broader product impact beyond the named extension and version.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV in the provided bundle, and CVSS exploit code maturity is unproven. There is no cited evidence here of active exploitation, public exploit use, or attacker adoption.
Researcher notes
The available bundle is sparse: it confirms affected product, version, CVSS vector, and MSRC reference, but not root cause, exploit mechanics, fixed version, or detailed mitigations. Avoid asserting exploitation or trigger specifics beyond user interaction and local attack vector.
Mitigation direction
- Review the MSRC advisory and apply Microsoft’s official remediation guidance.
- Update or remove vulnerable Remote - Containers extension installations.
- Disable the extension where update status cannot be confirmed.
- Avoid using untrusted development content until affected systems are remediated.
Validation and detection
- Inventory VS Code Remote - Containers extension installations and versions.
- Confirm whether version 1.0.0 is present on developer or build systems.
- Verify extension update status against Microsoft’s advisory.
- Prioritize systems handling sensitive code, credentials, or production deployment access.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
Execution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-31213 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-31213CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.