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CVE-2026-53709: MCP Context Forge admin tokens can be forged

CVE-2026-53709 · published 2 days ago

Summary

The MCP Context Forge gateway and admin console before version 1.0.2 includes a default secret key that anyone can use to create valid admin tokens. Because the system accepts those tokens, an outside attacker could gain full administrative rights without a user account, even after passwords are changed or accounts are deleted. Upgrade to version 1.0.2 or later to replace the default key and disable the bootstrap admin setting.

What to do

The CVE record does not list a fixed version. Check the vendor's site or the advisory links below - a fix may already be released.

Affected software

Vendor	Product	Affected versions
ibm	mcp-context-forge	< 1.0.2

Original advisory text

MCP Context Forge: Hardcoded default JWT_SECRET_KEY shipped in source and .env.example enables pre-authentication platform admin token forgery

MCP Context Forge is an MCP gateway and administrative platform. Prior to 1.0.2, mcpgateway/config.py and .env.example ship a known JWT_SECRET_KEY, while verify_jwt_token() accepts HS256 tokens signed with that key and get_current_user() creates a platform administrator when the token subject matches PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL and REQUIRE_USER_IN_DB is false. A remote unauthenticated attacker can therefore mint accepted administrator tokens without a database account. While the vulnerable signing key remains configured and the platform-admin bootstrap remains enabled, forged access survives password rotation, account deletion, and session revocation, allowing administrative disclosure, modification, and service disruption. This issue is fixed in version 1.0.2.

References

https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/security/advisories/GHSA-m8rv-5m6m-32ff Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/commit/2af690f894b6e35f5f21190fdab1505f... Patch
https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/releases/tag/v1.0.2 URL
https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/53xxx/CVE-2026-53709... Vendor Advisory
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53709 Vendor Advisory

Fix within

Internet-facing 3 days

Internal 60 days

Not known to be exploited
Can be exploited automatically (estimated)
Gives an attacker full control (estimated)

Severity

9.8 Critical

Exploitation

<1% chance of attack within 30 days

Type

CWE-287Improper Authentication

CWE-321Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key

CWE-798Use of Hard-coded Credentials

CWE-1188Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default

Timeline

Published13 Oct 2026

Updated15 Oct 2026

First seen13 Oct 2026

Sources

CVE-2026-53709 · NVD

CVE-2026-53709 · MITRE

CVE-2026-53709 · OSV

GHSA-m8rv-5m6m-32ff · GHSA

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