microsoft / microsoft/WSL

Windows-level per-app permission gate for WSL filesystem access (\\wsl$\)

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#40,644 2 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
feature
Dominant language
C++
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Forks
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

**Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.**
Any Windows application running under the current user session can freely read and write the entire WSL filesystem via \\wsl$\ with no prompt, no warning, and no way to block it per-app. This means a malicious or compromised Windows app can silently attack sensitive files like SSH keys, .env files, and credentials stored inside WSL

**Describe the solution you'd like**
A Windows-level permission system for WSL filesystem access, similar to how Windows already does with Camera, Microphone, and Location. Specifically:
A toggle in Windows Security / Privacy & Security settings to control which apps can access the WSL filesystem
Untrusted or unrecognized apps should prompt the user before being allowed to read or write \\wsl$\

**Describe alternatives you've considered**
Controlled Folder Access — only blocks writes, not reads. Does not fully address the threat.
Disabling automount in wsl.conf — only restricts Linux-side access to Windows drives, not the other way around.

**Additional context**
As WSL adoption grows among developers who store secrets and credentials inside their Linux environment, the lack of any access boundary between the Windows session and the WSL filesystem is a real security gap. Developers expect that files inside their Linux home directory are isolated from arbitrary Windows processes, but currently they are not.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

The issue names no files, tests, or entry points. Begin by mapping how WSL exposes \\wsl$\ to Windows applications and where Windows Security or Privacy settings could enforce per-app access; done means a defined permission flow that can distinguish applications and protect both reads and writes.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
operating-systems, security
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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