DEV Community

CVE Reports
CVE Reports

Posted on • Originally published at cvereports.com

CVE-2025-8217: Amazon Q's Self-Sabotage: The Backdoor That Couldn't Code

#security #cve #cybersecurity

Amazon Q's Self-Sabotage: The Backdoor That Couldn't Code

Vulnerability ID: CVE-2025-8217
CVSS Score: 5.1
Published: 2025-07-30

A deep dive into the supply chain compromise of the Amazon Q Developer VS Code extension, where malicious code was injected into the build pipeline but failed to execute due to a syntax error.

TL;DR

The build process for Amazon Q Developer extension v1.84.0 was hijacked to download and inject malicious code. The attacker, however, pushed a payload with a syntax error, rendering the backdoor inert. It's a textbook supply chain attack with a comical ending.

Technical Details

  • CWE ID: CWE-506
  • Attack Vector: Local (Supply Chain)
  • CVSS v4.0: 5.1 (Medium)
  • Impact: Inert (Failed Execution)
  • Exploit Status: Failed Attempt
  • KEV Status: Not Listed

Affected Systems

  • Visual Studio Code
  • Amazon Q Developer Extension
  • Amazon Q Developer VS Code Extension: = 1.84.0 (Fixed in: 1.85.0)

Code Analysis

Commit: unknown

The specific malicious commit was part of a build artifact injection and may not be visible in the public git history as a standard commit, but rather as a modification during the packaging process.

- async function preparePackager() { ... downloadFiles(...) ... }
+ // Function removed in 1.85.0
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Exploit Details

  • Internal: The exploit was contained within the distributed 1.84.0 VSIX file but failed to execute due to syntax errors.

Mitigation Strategies

  • Implement strict integrity checks in build pipelines to prevent dynamic code fetching.
  • Audit build scripts (package.ts, Makefiles) as rigorously as source code.
  • Restrict network access during the build phase to prevent unauthorized downloads.

Remediation Steps:

  1. Upgrade Amazon Q Developer VS Code extension to version 1.85.0 or later.
  2. Manually uninstall version 1.84.0 to remove any residual files.
  3. Verify the extension version in VS Code by navigating to the Extensions view.

References

Read the full report for CVE-2025-8217 on our website for more details including interactive diagrams and full exploit analysis.

Top comments (0)