Technical impact
The vulnerability allows an attacker who can initiate a Dev Container build to execute code on the host system. Because the project‑trust confirmation step is omitted, the JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA engine silently accepts the container definition and runs it with host privileges, potentially giving the attacker full control over the development machine. This flaw falls under CWE‑829, reflecting the failure to check that data intended for a trusted user is safe. The result is a serious breach of confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as malicious code can be run outside the intended container isolation.
Affected Systems
JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA installations running a version prior to 2026.2.2 are affected. Any project that contains a Dev Container definition can trigger the flaw if built without a trust prompt.
Risk and Exploitability
The CVSS score of 7.8 indicates high severity. The EPSS score is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, suggesting no widely known exploit yet. The likely attack vector involves a developer or an attacker who can supply or modify a project’s Dev Container configuration to be built locally. Once the build begins, the untrusted code is executed with host permissions, enabling full system compromise. The risk is significant for environments where containers are built automatically or by non‑trusted users, and mitigation is strongly recommended.
