CVE-2025-32018
Remediation/Mitigation Strategy for CVE-2025-32018
Vulnerability Description
The Cursor code editor (versions 0.45.0 through 0.48.6) contains a vulnerability where the Cursor Agent, responsible for automatic code modifications, can be prompted to write to files outside of the user’s intended workspace. This occurs due to a regression in file path access control.
Severity
High (CVSS Score: 8.0)
- Base Score: 8.0
- Impact: Allows arbitrary file writes, potentially leading to code execution, data corruption, or privilege escalation.
- Exploitability: While requiring specific user interaction (prompting the agent), the impact is severe enough to warrant a high severity rating.
Known Exploit
The vulnerability requires deliberate prompting of the Cursor Agent, either directly by the user or through maliciously crafted context. While theoretically possible, exploitation is considered highly impractical in real-world scenarios because:
- It requires specific user action.
- Modified files are displayed in the UI for review, reducing the chance of unnoticed edits.
Remediation
The primary remediation is to upgrade Cursor to version 0.48.7 or later. This version contains a fix for the regression that caused the vulnerability.
Mitigation Strategies (If Upgrade is Not Immediately Possible)
While upgrading is the preferred solution, the following mitigation strategies can reduce the risk if an immediate upgrade is not feasible:
- User Awareness Training: Educate users about the potential risk of prompting the Cursor Agent with ambiguous or untrusted instructions, especially if the prompts contain file paths.
- Code Review Policy: Implement a strict code review policy for any changes made by the Cursor Agent, ensuring that all modifications are carefully scrutinized before being accepted.
- Workspace Isolation: Whenever possible, work within isolated workspaces containing only the necessary files. This limits the scope of potential damage should the agent write to the wrong location.
- Agent Activity Monitoring: Monitor the Cursor Agent’s activity logs for any unexpected file write operations outside the intended workspace. While the logs might not give enough details to be totally preventative, they can give a starting point to hunt.
- Disable potentially vulnerable features: If possible, consider disabling features that heavily rely on the Cursor Agent’s automatic modification capabilities until an upgrade can be performed.
Assigner
- GitHub, Inc. [email protected]
Date
- Published Date: 2025-04-08 15:49:20
- Updated Date: 2025-04-08 18:13:53