CVE-2026-53709: MCP Context Forge: Hardcoded default JWT_SECRET_KEY shipped in source and .env.example enables pre-authentication platform admin token forgery

Is it exploited?

Not on CISA's list. CISA has not added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of 28 Oct 2026. If CISA adds it, this page shows it as known exploited.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

0.6%

EPSS score, percentile 48.8 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.

CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record lists exploitation as poc.

How severe?

9.8 Critical

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA has set no required action, because the vulnerability is not in KEV.

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• < 1.0.2

Versions by product

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 29 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-29_0000Z, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

Advisories and patches

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-29_0000Z, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

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 there…

Summary: CVE record, as of 29 Oct 2026.

• CISA has not added CVE-2026-53709 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
• The CVE record was published on 13 Oct 2026.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.6% (percentile 48.8), as of 29 Oct 2026. EPSS is a statistical estimate, not a report of exploitation.
• CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation poc, automatable yes, technical impact total.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-29_0000Z, as of 29 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

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.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-29_0000Z, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

• CWE-287: Improper Authentication
• CWE-321: Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key
• CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials
• CWE-1188: Insecure Default Initialization of Resource

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record.

Timeline

References

• https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/security/advisories/GHSA-m8rv-5m6m-32ff
• https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/commit/2af690f894b6e35f5f21190fdab1505f023a5272
• https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/releases/tag/v1.0.2

Known exploited IBM vulnerabilities

• CVE-2026-9198: IBM Langflow Code Injection Vulnerability (added 4 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2022-47986: IBM Aspera Faspex Code Execution Vulnerability (added 21 Feb 2023)
• CVE-2013-3993: IBM InfoSphere BigInsights Invalid Input Vulnerability (added 25 May 2022)
• CVE-2015-7450: IBM WebSphere Application Server and Server Hypervisor Edition Code Injection. (added 10 Jan 2022)
• CVE-2019-4716: IBM Planning Analytics Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (added 3 Nov 2021)