Is nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack safe to use?

nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack has a security risk score of 38.31/100 (LOW risk). Our security analysis detected 48 findings. Review the detailed security assessment below to understand the specific risks before installation.

What are the security risks of nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack?

Based on our automated security analysis, nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack presents low risk level. The extension is analyzed for malware patterns, secret exposure, network communications, permissions, and supply chain vulnerabilities.

How is the security score calculated?

Risky Plugins calculates security scores using weighted categories: severity of findings (25 points max), malware detections (35 points), secret exposure (28 points), network communications (10 points), and obfuscation (10 points). Scores range from 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater risk.

What does CRITICAL, HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW, MINIMAL risk mean?

CRITICAL (80-100): Severe security issues like malware. HIGH (60-79): Significant vulnerabilities. MEDIUM (40-59): Moderate security concerns. LOW (20-39): Minor issues. MINIMAL (0-19): Very low risk. Always review findings before installing any extension.

Is "nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack" on VS Code Marketplace Safe to Install?

Name: nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack
Availability: InStock
Rating: 3.8333332538604736 (6 reviews)
Author: Nordic Semiconductor

Verified

Nordic Semiconductor · vscode · v2025.4.4

Recommended extensions for development with the nRF Connect SDK

Risk Assessment

Analyzed

38.31

out of 100

LOW

48 security findings detected across all analyzers

VS Code extension analyzed via package manifest and static code analysis

Severity Breakdown

Critical

High

Medium

Low

Info

Finding Categories

Malware Signatures

IoC Indicators

YARA Rules Matched

6 rules(15 hits)

postinstall file manipulation postinstall system command postinstall network communication postinstall crypto operations postinstall file download DebuggerStatementsShouldNotBeUsed

About This Extension

Recommended extensions for development with the nRF Connect SDK

Detailed Findings

15 total

YARA Rule Matches

6 rules

Indicators of Compromise

Network indicators, suspicious strings, and potential IoCs extracted during analysis

URLs

Domains

Strings

All Indicators · 32

Domain

detected Domain: schemas.openxmlformats.org

XIOC detected Domain: schemas.openxmlformats.org

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: code.visualstudio.com

XIOC detected Domain: code.visualstudio.com

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vsx-schema/2011

XIOC detected URL: http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vsx-schema/2011

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vsx-schema-design/2011

XIOC detected URL: http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vsx-schema-design/2011

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/nrf-connect-vscode/page/index.html

XIOC detected URL: https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/nrf-connect-vscode/page/index.html

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=nordic-semiconductor.nrf-devicetree)

XIOC detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=nordic-semiconductor.nrf-devicetree)

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=nordic-semiconductor.nrf-kconfig)

XIOC detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=nordic-semiconductor.nrf-kconfig)

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/kbuild/kconfig-language.html)

XIOC detected URL: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/kbuild/kconfig-language.html)

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=nordic-semiconductor.nrf-terminal)

XIOC detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=nordic-semiconductor.nrf-terminal)

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: readme.md

XIOC detected Domain: readme.md

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=trond-snekvik.gnu-mapfiles)

XIOC detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=trond-snekvik.gnu-mapfiles)

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/nrf-connect-vscode/page/reference/ui_sidebar_welcome.html#toolbar-actions)

XIOC detected URL: https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/nrf-connect-vscode/page/reference/ui_sidebar_welcome.html#toolbar-actions)

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: changelog.md

XIOC detected Domain: changelog.md

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/content-types

XIOC detected URL: http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/content-types

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://devzone.nordicsemi.com

XIOC detected URL: https://devzone.nordicsemi.com

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://code.visualstudio.com/api/working-with-extensions/publishing-extension#publishing-extensions)

XIOC detected URL: https://code.visualstudio.com/api/working-with-extensions/publishing-extension#publishing-extensions)

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-software/nrf-connect-sdk)

XIOC detected URL: https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-software/nrf-connect-sdk)

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=nordic-semiconductor.nrf-connect)

XIOC detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=nordic-semiconductor.nrf-connect)

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: www.nordicsemi.com

XIOC detected Domain: www.nordicsemi.com

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: marketplace.visualstudio.com

XIOC detected Domain: marketplace.visualstudio.com

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: www.kernel.org

XIOC detected Domain: www.kernel.org

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: schemas.microsoft.com

XIOC detected Domain: schemas.microsoft.com

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: microsoft.visualstudio.services.links.support

XIOC detected Domain: microsoft.visualstudio.services.links.support

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: license.md

XIOC detected Domain: license.md

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode.cpptools)

XIOC detected URL: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode.cpptools)

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: c.call

XIOC detected Domain: c.call

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: nrf-connect.build

XIOC detected Domain: nrf-connect.build

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: l.quickstart.id

XIOC detected Domain: l.quickstart.id

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: l.openfromappindex.id

XIOC detected Domain: l.openfromappindex.id

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: docs.nordicsemi.com

XIOC detected Domain: docs.nordicsemi.com

extracted_from_files

Domain

detected Domain: devzone.nordicsemi.com

XIOC detected Domain: devzone.nordicsemi.com

extracted_from_files

URL

detected URL: https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/).

XIOC detected URL: https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/).

extracted_from_files

Security Analysis Summary

Security Analysis Overview

nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack is a Visual Studio Code Marketplace extension published by Nordic Semiconductor. Version 2025.4.4 has been analyzed by the Risky Plugins security platform, receiving a risk score of 38.31/100 (LOW risk) based on 48 security findings.

Risk Assessment

This extension presents low security risk. Some minor findings were detected, but nothing that would prevent typical usage. Reviewing the detailed findings below is recommended before use in sensitive environments.

Findings Breakdown

High: 15 finding(s)
Medium: 33 finding(s)

What Was Analyzed

The security assessment covers multiple analysis categories:

Malware Detection: YARA rule matching against 2,400+ malware signatures
Secret Detection: Scanning for exposed API keys, tokens, and credentials
Static Analysis: Code-level security analysis for common vulnerability patterns
Network Analysis: Detection of suspicious network communications and endpoints
Obfuscation Detection: Identification of code obfuscation techniques

Developer Information

nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack is published by Nordic Semiconductor on the Visual Studio Code Marketplace marketplace. The extension has approximately 156K users.

Recommendation

Exercise caution with this extension. Review the detailed findings and ensure the requested permissions align with the extension's stated functionality before installation.

Source Code Viewer

Source Code Not Available

Source code is not available for this version of the extension.