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Audit intermediate Works with: Any AI

VS Code Workspace Trust and Untrusted Repository Safety Review (Defensive)

Table output

Decide how to open code you did not write.

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[VERIFY] is an editorial flag, not a blank to fill. Wherever the prompt shows [VERIFY], check that item against a reliable source before you use it.

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Create a safe procedure, for my own protection, for opening unfamiliar repositories in VS Code. Typical sources of code I open (colleagues, open source, candidates' test projects, downloads): [SOURCES]. What I have on my machine that matters (credentials, work files): [ASSETS_AT_RISK].

Explain in plain words why opening a folder can run code (tasks, debug configurations, extensions, scripts run by tools) and what restricted mode does and does not do [VERIFY]. Decision table with Source, Risk, Where to open it, What to check first and What to avoid: a sample from a stranger (only in a disposable virtual machine or container with no access to personal files), a colleague's repository (restricted mode first, read configuration), a candidate's coding test (disposable environment, no credentials mounted). Checklist: open in restricted mode first, read configuration in order (tasks, launch settings, package scripts, build scripts), check recommended extensions, review installation scripts before running them, and never run unknown scripts with administrator rights. Code from outside the organisation is never opened on a machine holding production credentials.

If I ran something suspicious: disconnect from the network, tell security, and change credentials from a clean device. Include a 20-minute team exercise using a harmless repository with a task that prints a message on folder open, finding it by reading configuration before opening, and discussing what the same file could have done. Provide a one-page poster and how to report suspicious repositories to security.

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