CVE-2026-53709 Hardcoded credentials in mcp-context-forge
Remote attackers can forge admin tokens using a hardcoded JWT secret to gain full administrative control over the MCP Context Forge platform.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-53709?
CVE-2026-53709 is a critical vulnerability in IBM mcp-context-forge, published on 13 Oct 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
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.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53709?
How do I fix CVE-2026-53709?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-53709 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-53709 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-53709 exists.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-m8rv-5m6m-32ff.