RCE in Zed
CVE-2025-68433
Zed, a code editor, has an aribtrary code execution vulnerability in versions prior to 0.218.2-pre. The Zed IDE loads Model Context Protocol (MCP) configurations from the `settings.json` file located within a project’s `.zed` subdirectory. A malicious MCP configuration can contain arbitrary shell commands that run on the host system with the privileges of the user running the IDE. This can be triggered automatically without any user interaction besides opening the project in the IDE. Version 0.218.2-pre fixes the issue by implementing worktree trust mechanism. As a workaround, users should carefully review the contents of project settings files (`./zed/settings.json`) before opening new projects in Zed.
Vulnerability class: Command Injection (OS Command Injection)
EPSS: 0.003 (19.9th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.7 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Zed
- Zed-industries Zed — versions < 0.218.2-pre
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Exploit, Vendor Advisory)
- security-advisories@github.com (Product, x_refsource_MISC, Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-68433?
- CVE-2025-68433 is a high-severity vulnerability in Zed, classified under Command Injection. CVSS score: 7.7/10. Published 2025-12-17.
- How severe is CVE-2025-68433?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.7 out of 10.