Control characters from ASCII, originally designed for communication control, are being exploited in modern applications like Visual Studio Code to trigger command injection vulnerabilities. This occurs when these characters manipulate command arguments passed to the shell, leading to unintended command executions. The issue underscores the importance of sanitizing user input to prevent security risks associated with terminal interactions.

The article discusses the importance of safeguarding Visual Studio Code against prompt injections, a type of security vulnerability that can lead to unauthorized access and manipulation of user data. It emphasizes the need for developers to implement best practices and security measures to mitigate these risks, ensuring a safer coding environment.