CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-54504NVD status: Deferred

mcp-documentation-server: Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-54504 is a high-severity missing authentication for critical functionality vulnerability in mcp-documentation-server from Andrea9293, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited from the same local network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected mcp-documentation-server versions: >= 1.13.0, < 1.13.1. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.57% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of mcp-documentation-server you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Andrea9293mcp-documentation-server>= 1.13.0, < 1.13.1Not stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
AdjacentThe attacker must be on the same local network segment.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (github.com).

Official description

MCP Documentation Server is a local-first document management and semantic search server for AI coding agents. From 1.13.0 until 1.13.1, the automatically started Web UI in src/server.ts calls startWebServer in src/web-server.ts with START_WEB_UI enabled by default and WEB_PORT set to 3080. startWebServer uses app.listen(PORT) without a host, which binds the unauthenticated document-management API to all interfaces rather than localhost. A network-reachable client can invoke GET /api/documents, GET /api/documents/:id, POST /api/documents, POST /api/search-all, DELETE /api/documents/:id, and GET /api/config without credentials to enumerate and read documents, search the corpus, insert or delete documents, and tamper with the MCP assistant's knowledge base. The service must be reachable from the attacker's LAN, VM network, container bridge, VPN, or another routed network, and the issue does not provide remote code execution. This issue is fixed in 1.13.1.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality

The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using libraries with authentication capabilities such as OpenSSL or the ESAPI Authenticator.
  • When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to require strong authentication for users who should be allowed to access the data.

More Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality vulnerabilities (CWE-306)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality vulnerabilities

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