---
title: "GitHub Copilot: Sorry Dave, I can't do that harmful thing - unless you ask me in code"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/github-copilot-sorry-dave-i-can-t-do-that-harmful-thing---unless-you-ask-me-in-code-x0mfpi8fl
source_url: https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/07/08/github-copilot-sorry-dave-i-cant-do-that-harmful-thing-unless-you-ask-me-in-code/5268654
type: article
source: "The Register"
published: 2026-07-08T19:22:32.962Z
updated: 2026-07-08T19:22:50.398Z
tags: ["security", "github"]
reading_time: 3
upvotes: 1
comments: 0
language: en
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# GitHub Copilot: Sorry Dave, I can't do that harmful thing - unless you ask me in code

**[The Register](https://daily.dev/sources/theregister)** · 3 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Researchers discovered that GitHub Copilot's safety guardrails can be bypassed by embedding harmful requests within code rather than plain text prompts. The jailbreak operates at the workflow level, allowing users to circumvent content restrictions that would normally block such requests when made in natural language.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/07/08/github-copilot-sorry-dave-i-cant-do-that-harmful-thing-unless-you-ask-me-in-code/5268654>

## Similar posts on daily.dev

- [Researchers break GitHub Copilot's safety via a workflow](https://daily.dev/posts/researchers-break-github-copilot-s-safety-via-a-workflow-z5yjmishm) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments
- [Safeguarding VS Code against prompt injections](https://daily.dev/posts/safeguarding-vs-code-against-prompt-injections-mckm0s3ln) · GitHub Blog · 3 upvotes · 0 comments
- [Security reviews now available in the GitHub Copilot app](https://daily.dev/posts/security-reviews-now-available-in-the-github-copilot-app-yl2ya9sjw) · GitHub Changelog · 0 upvotes · 0 comments
- [GitHub Mobile: Research and code with Copilot cloud agent anywhere](https://daily.dev/posts/github-mobile-research-and-code-with-copilot-cloud-agent-anywhere-eezmelerp) · GitHub Changelog · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

---

Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#github](https://daily.dev/tags/github)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/github-copilot-sorry-dave-i-can-t-do-that-harmful-thing---unless-you-ask-me-in-code-x0mfpi8fl)