CVE-2025-57729

Step 1: Crafting a Malicious Plugin: The attacker crafts a malicious plugin for IntelliJ IDEA. This plugin contains malicious code designed to execute arbitrary commands or compromise the system.

Step 2: Plugin Delivery: The attacker delivers the malicious plugin to the target system. This could be achieved through various methods, such as social engineering, supply chain compromise (e.g., a malicious dependency), or exploiting other vulnerabilities.

Step 3: Triggering LSP Server Startup: The attacker triggers the automatic startup of the LSP server. This could be achieved by opening a project or file that triggers the LSP server to initialize.

Step 4: Plugin Loading by LSP Server: The LSP server, due to its insecure configuration, automatically loads the malicious plugin without proper validation.

Step 5: Code Execution: The malicious code within the plugin executes within the context of IntelliJ IDEA, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary commands, steal sensitive information, or gain control of the developer's workstation.

The vulnerability stems from an insecure configuration of the LSP server within IntelliJ IDEA. The LSP server, designed to provide language support features, is automatically started without proper validation of the plugins it loads. Specifically, the flaw lies in the lack of authorization checks before the LSP server initiates the loading of plugins. This allows a malicious actor to craft a specially designed plugin that, when loaded by the LSP server, can execute arbitrary code within the context of the IntelliJ IDEA process. The root cause is a missing security check during the plugin loading process triggered by the LSP server's automatic startup. This lack of validation allows for the execution of untrusted code, leading to a potential remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability.