UI-TARS-desktop: Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality
CVE-2026-81735 is a critical-severity missing authentication for critical functionality vulnerability in UI-TARS-desktop from ByteDance, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 10.0 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists version c2ad42e3eb9b27830db41a3e6f51ca7179d9b168 as the first without the flaw, so updating UI-TARS-desktop to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.78% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 56% of scored CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Update UI-TARS-desktop to c2ad42e3eb9b27830db41a3e6f51ca7179d9b168 or a later version.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bytedance | UI-TARS-desktop | before c2ad42e3eb9b27830db41a3e6f51ca7179d9b168 | c2ad42e3eb9b27830db41a3e6f51ca7179d9b168 |
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
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- 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
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- 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:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (vulncheck.com).
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 10.0 | Critical | CNA (vulncheck.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 10.0 | Critical | CNA (vulncheck.com) |
Official description
startServer.ts in the mcp-http-server package of UI-TARS-desktop defaulted its listen address to '::' when no host was given, so startSseAndStreamableHttpMcpServer bound the Streamable HTTP and SSE MCP transports to every interface, and its authentication middleware was optional: middlewares are applied only when a caller supplies them. The @agent-infra/mcp-server-commands and @agent-infra/mcp-server-filesystem entry points call startSseAndStreamableHttpMcpServer with a host and port alone and pass no middleware, so neither server required a credential. The commands server exposes a run_command tool that hands its caller-supplied command string to promisify(child_process.exec), so any unauthenticated client able to reach the port could run arbitrary commands as the user running the server, and the filesystem server exposed its file read and write tools on the same terms. The listen default became 127.0.0.1 in commit c2ad42e3eb9b27830db41a3e6f51ca7179d9b168; the package version stayed at 1.2.4 across that change, so the boundary is the commit rather than a release.
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
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Other references
Recent Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 8.2 High severity
- 10.0 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
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