# 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.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 13 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-m8rv-5m6m-32ff

## 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.

Weakness: CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials), CWE-321 (Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key), CWE-287 (Improper Authentication), CWE-1188 (Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default)

## 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.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-53709 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: 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.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-53709 exists.

Affected product: IBM mcp-context-forge. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53709/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53709/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53709
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53709
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53709

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53709/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.