diff --git a/src/vs/base/common/json.ts b/src/vs/base/common/json.ts
index d7ac069d3d162..11743e4bcbdb5 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/common/json.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/common/json.ts
@@ -839,6 +839,24 @@ export function getLocation(text: string, position: number): Location {
 }
 
 
+/**
+ * Safely assigns `value` to `obj[key]`, using `Object.defineProperty` for the
+ * `__proto__` key so that the own property is preserved without triggering the
+ * prototype setter (prototype pollution).
+ */
+export function setObjectProperty(obj: Record<string, unknown>, key: string, value: unknown): void {
+	if (key === '__proto__') {
+		Object.defineProperty(obj, '__proto__', {
+			value,
+			enumerable: true,
+			writable: true,
+			configurable: true,
+		});
+	} else {
+		obj[key] = value;
+	}
+}
+
 /**
  * Parses the given text and returns the object the JSON content represents. On invalid input, the parser tries to be as fault tolerant as possible, but still return a result.
  * Therefore always check the errors list to find out if the input was valid.
@@ -852,7 +870,7 @@ export function parse(text: string, errors: ParseError[] = [], options: ParseOpt
 		if (Array.isArray(currentParent)) {
 			currentParent.push(value);
 		} else if (currentProperty !== null) {
-			currentParent[currentProperty] = value;
+			setObjectProperty(currentParent, currentProperty, value);
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/base/test/common/json.test.ts b/src/vs/base/test/common/json.test.ts
index ff75a79a73edd..92afa1e16ef5f 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/test/common/json.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/test/common/json.test.ts
@@ -195,6 +195,14 @@ suite('JSON', () => {
 		assertValidParse('{ "foo": /*hello*/true }', { foo: true });
 	});
 
+	test('parse: __proto__ own property is preserved without polluting prototype', () => {
+		const errors: ParseError[] = [];
+		const actual = parse('{ "__proto__": { "polluted": true } }', errors);
+
+		assert.deepStrictEqual({ hasOwn: Object.hasOwn(actual, '__proto__'), prototype: Object.getPrototypeOf(actual), errors },
+			{ hasOwn: true, prototype: Object.prototype, errors: [] });
+	});
+
 	test('parse: arrays', () => {
 		assertValidParse('[]', []);
 		assertValidParse('[ [],  [ [] ]]', [[], [[]]]);
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/configuration/common/configurationModels.ts b/src/vs/platform/configuration/common/configurationModels.ts
index b5cf8e4a264db..be34cd2ebb0e3 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/configuration/common/configurationModels.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/configuration/common/configurationModels.ts
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ export class ConfigurationModelParser {
 			if (Array.isArray(currentParent)) {
 				currentParent.push(value);
 			} else if (currentProperty !== null) {
-				currentParent[currentProperty] = value;
+				json.setObjectProperty(currentParent as Record<string, unknown>, currentProperty, value);
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/configuration/test/common/configurationModels.test.ts b/src/vs/platform/configuration/test/common/configurationModels.test.ts
index f3538bb0ac0d3..7a8907090d05a 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/configuration/test/common/configurationModels.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/configuration/test/common/configurationModels.test.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,16 @@ suite('ConfigurationModelParser', () => {
 		assert.strictEqual(testObject.configurationModel.getValue('a.b.c'), undefined);
 	});
 
+	test('parse configuration model with __proto__ key does not cause prototype pollution', () => {
+		const testObject = new ConfigurationModelParser('', new NullLogService());
+
+		testObject.parse(JSON.stringify({ '__proto__': { 'editor.fontSize': 100 } }));
+
+		assert.strictEqual((Object.prototype as Record<string, unknown>)['editor.fontSize'], undefined, '__proto__ must not pollute Object.prototype');
+		const raw = testObject.configurationModel.getValue('__proto__') as Record<string, unknown>;
+		assert.deepStrictEqual(raw, { 'editor.fontSize': 100 });
+	});
+
 });
 
 suite('ConfigurationModelParser - Excluded Properties', () => {