GitHub Copilot prompt injection enables remote code execution (CVE-2025-53773)
GitHub (Copilot / VS Code) · Aug 12, 2025 · Coding agent
What happened
Johann Rehberger found a prompt-injection attack leading to full system compromise of a developer's machine in GitHub Copilot and VS Code (CVE-2025-53773). The attack placed Copilot into 'YOLO mode' by modifying the project's settings.json — exploiting the fact that Copilot Agent Mode writes file edits directly to disk without user approval, so an agent that can modify its own security-relevant settings can escalate to remote code execution.
Causal vector
Agent that can write its own security-relevant config (settings.json) escalated to full remote code execution
Source
Reported by Embrace The Red (Johann Rehberger). Verified against the primary report.
The RCE required the agent to edit its own security settings (settings.json → YOLO mode). Config-file writes that change a security posture are spend-equivalent destructive actions: an approval threshold and a category rule on self-modification of security settings return FLAGGED before the write lands, so the agent cannot escalate its own privileges.
The six rule types that contain this class of failure
Per-transaction cap
Any single spend above your ceiling is BLOCKED before it moves.
Daily total
Cumulative spend across all agent calls, bounded per day.
Velocity limit
Stops runaway retry loops — the #1 cause of overnight losses.
Merchant allowlist
Only approved destinations can ever receive funds.
Category rules
Flag high-risk classes (crypto, infra, refunds) for review.
Approval threshold
Above a value, the action waits for a human.
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