Vulnerabilities

Cursor for Windows version 3.2.16 contains a binary planting vulnerability that allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution by placing a malicious git.exe file in the repository root directory. When a developer clones and opens a crafted repository, Cursor automatically resolves and executes the workspace-resident git.exe during IDE startup and on a recurring timed cadence without any user interaction, running the malicious binary under the privileges of the current user.

Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Prior to 3.0, Cursor runs agent terminal commands in a sandbox by default. Before a Write, the agent canonicalizes the target path to confirm it stays inside the workspace, but when canonicalization fails it falls back to the original path and writes without approval. A malicious agent can create an in-workspace symlink that points outside the workspace and force canonicalization to fail — either because the target does not exist or because read permission is removed from the path — so the agent writes through the symlink to an arbitrary location without approval. A malicious agent could write arbitrary files outside the workspace under the user's privileges. This enables non-sandboxed Remote Code Execution — for example by overwriting the cursorsandbox helper so later commands run unsandboxed — with no user interaction beyond a benign prompt. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.0.

Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Prior to 2.0 ,if a visited website contains maliciously crafted instructions, the model may attempt to follow them in order to “assist” the user. When combined with a bypass of the command whitelist mechanism, such indirect prompt injections could result in commands being executed automatically, without the user’s explicit intent, thereby posing a significant security risk. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.0.

Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Sandbox escape via writing .git configuration was possible in versions prior to 2.5. A malicious agent (ie prompt injection) could write to improperly protected .git settings, including git hooks, which may cause out-of-sandbox RCE next time they are triggered. No user interaction was required as Git executes these commands automatically. Fixed in version 2.5.

Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Prior to 2.3, hen the Cursor Agent is running in Auto-Run Mode with Allowlist mode enabled, certain shell built-ins can still be executed without appearing in the allowlist and without requiring user approval. This allows an attacker via indirect or direct prompt injection to poison the shell environment by setting, modifying, or removing environment variables that influence trusted commands. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.3.

Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. In versions 1.7.23 and below, a logic bug allows a malicious agent to read sensitive files that should be protected via cursorignore. An attacker who has already achieved prompt injection, or a malicious model, could create a new cursorignore file which can invalidate the configuration of pre-existing ones. This could allow a malicious agent to read protected files. This issue is fixed in version 2.0.

Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. In versions 1.7.44 and below, various NTFS path quirks allow a prompt injection attacker to circumvent sensitive file protections and overwrite files which Cursor requires human approval to overwrite. Modification of some of the protected files can lead to RCE. Must be chained with a prompt injection or malicious model attach. Only affects systems supporting NTFS. This issue is fixed in version 2.0.

Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Versions 1.6.23 and below contain case-sensitive checks in the way Cursor IDE protects its sensitive files (e.g., */.cursor/mcp.json), which allows attackers to modify the content of these files through prompt injection and achieve remote code execution. A prompt injection can lead to full RCE through modifying sensitive files on case-insensitive fileystems. This issue is fixed in version 1.7.

Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Cursor allows writing in-workspace files with no user approval in versions below 1.3.9, If the file is a dotfile, editing it requires approval but creating a new one doesn't. Hence, if sensitive MCP files, such as the .cursor/mcp.json file don't already exist in the workspace, an attacker can chain a indirect prompt injection vulnerability to hijack the context to write to the settings file and trigger RCE on the victim without user approval. This is fixed in version 1.3.9.

CVE-2025-54136 is a command-injection flaw (CWE-78) in the Cursor AI code editor, versions 1.2.4 and below, in which changes to a previously trusted Model Context Protocol (MCP) configuration are not re-validated, letting a trusted command be silently swapped for an attacker-controlled one. The issue is triggered when an attacker with write permissions on the user's active branches of a source repository containing already-approved MCP servers — or with arbitrary local file-write on the victim's machine — modifies the trusted MCP configuration file; after the user accepts an innocuous MCP entry, the attacker can replace it with a malicious command without any warning or re-prompt. Successful exploitation yields remote and persistent arbitrary code execution on the developer's machine because the established MCP trust bypasses the prompts that would normally expose the change. Only Cursor 1.2.4 or earlier is affected; practical exposure additionally requires the user to have previously approved MCP servers whose configuration is attacker-writable. No public proof-of-concept or confirmed in-the-wild exploitation is known, though EPSS assigns a 27.1% probability of exploitation within 30 days (98th percentile) and CISA has not added it to the KEV catalog.

Do: Upgrade Cursor to version 1.3 or later. Until then, closely review and version-control MCP configuration files in shared repositories (require pull-request review for changes to approved MCP entries) and audit currently approved MCP server commands for unexpected edits, since swaps to already-trusted entries occur with no warning or re-prompt. Treat the fix as urgent given the high EPSS probability of near-term exploitation.

Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. In versions below 1.3, an attacker can bypass the allow list in auto-run mode with a backtick (`) or $(cmd). If a user has swapped Cursor from its default settings (requiring approval for every terminal call) to an allowlist, an attacker can execute arbitrary command execution outside of the allowlist without user approval. An attacker can trigger this vulnerability if chained with indirect prompt injection. This is fixed in version 1.3.