CVE
IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway auth bypass via replayed identity propagation claims
Affects ContextForge MCP Gateway 1.0.0 through 1.1.0 when identity propagation is enabled. Fixed in v1.1.1.
Written by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 from the sources below. Verify against them.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
- Exploited
- No known exploitation
- Fix
- Fixed in v1.1.1
- Who is exposed
- Not reported
Do first: Upgrade to a fixed version: v1.1.1.
- Last modified
- Whether it needs action now or is a reference record, by fixed rules, with why. Last checked is when cve.now last re-read it.What do these mean? →
- Reference
- Last checked
- A 0-100 score for how much a CVE matters across the industry: exploitation, exposure, how widely the software is used, severity and whether a fix exists.What do these mean? →
- 24/100 · provisional
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Unclear
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
Summary
IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway is affected by an information exposure flaw that lets an attacker replay identity propagation claim signatures or expose sensitive user identity information to third-party MCP servers. An attacker can reach it remotely over the network, without logging in and without any action from a user.
Original description
IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway 1.0.0 through 1.1.0 could allow an attacker to replay identity propagation claims signatures or expose sensitive user identity information to third-party MCP servers due to static signature payloads and missing per-gateway configuration checks during tool invocation.
Who should check
Teams running IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway v1.0.0-v1.1.0 with identity propagation enabled, which forwards user identity to upstream MCP servers.
“IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway v1.0.0-v1.1.0”
cve.now Index
- Exploitation?/40Unknown. No CISA SSVC exploitation rating yet
- Exposure17/25No login or user action needed, reachable over the network without a login · Unknown: Advisories don't say whether default setups are affected
- Reach?/20Unknown. No tracked technology or package matched
- Severity7.4/10CVSS 7.4
- No patch0/5No signal
What would change the score
- Would score about 69 if added to CISA KEV
- Would score about 64 if CISA's SSVC rates exploitation active
- Would score about 29 if advisories confirm default setups are exposed
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed version: v1.1.1.
Workaround: Disable identity propagation globally by setting IDENTITY_PROPAGATION_ENABLED=false, and restrict access to the gateway to trusted users.
Check your systems with an agent
Paste this into a coding or ops agent. It checks your systems read-only and reports a table per asset.
Check whether my systems are affected by CVE-2026-110278 (IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway is affected by an information exposure vulnerability), using the cve.now data below.
Rules: work read-only. Do not run exploit code, proof-of-concept scripts or scanners that send attack payloads, and do not change any configuration, package, image or deployment. Report findings only.
What cve.now has for CVE-2026-110278 (entry last updated 2026-11-13):
Affected:
- IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway: from 1.0.0, through 1.1.0
Fixed versions: v1.1.1.
Conditions (all must be true for the bug to be hit):
- Identity propagation is enabled on the gateway (source: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7296489)
Setup: unknown whether the bug needs a non-default feature or setting. Check the advisory.
Attacker needs: network access, no login, no user action.
Workaround: Disable identity propagation globally by setting IDENTITY_PROPAGATION_ENABLED=false, and restrict access to the gateway to trusted users. (source: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7296489)
CISA KEV: CVE-2026-110278 is not listed as of cve.now's last read.
This KEV status is for CVE-2026-110278 only. If you also check another CVE, look up its own KEV status; never assume it from this one.
How to check:
- Installed software: check what is actually running, not what a repo declares. Read the version from each host, container image and Kubernetes node (the binary's version output, the OS package database, image layers), and check whether the conditions above hold there. Distribution packages may carry a backported fix under an older version number; confirm against the distribution's own advisory.
Verify against the linked advisories before concluding, and cite the date you read each one:
- https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7296489
Do not conclude an asset is unaffected unless you checked it and the evidence covers both its version and the conditions above. If you could not check something, mark it unknown and say what is missing.
Report a table with one row per asset and these columns: Asset | Version or build | Status (affected, fixed, not applicable, unknown) | Compensating controls | Exposure (internet-facing, internal, none) | Evidence | Next action.
Entry: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-110278
For follow-up questions, use the cve.now MCP server at https://mcp.cve.now/mcp (no authentication), for example execute with name cve.get and arguments {"id": "CVE-2026-110278"}.Timeline
- CVE published
- First seen by cve.now
Affected versions
- IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway
From 1.0.0 · through 1.1.0
Evidence 3
Vendor advisory · 1
Establishes: Affected and fixed versions.
- Patch
CVE record · 2
Establishes: The identifier and description.
- Record
- Record
Corrections
None so far.
Something wrong on this page? Report an error. Every fix is listed here.
Questions about CVE-2026-110278
Is CVE-2026-110278 being exploited?
It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cve.now feed data
What does this mean?
When identity propagation is enabled, the gateway forwards the calling user's identity, such as user ID, email address, groups and teams, to upstream MCP servers. The flaw can expose sensitive user identity information to third-party MCP servers, and an attacker can replay identity propagation claims signatures.Source: ibm.com
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-110278?
ContextForge MCP Gateway: from 1.0.0 through 1.1.0.Source: cve.now feed data
Am I affected, and how do I check?
Versions 1.0.0 through 1.1.0 are affected, and only when identity propagation is enabled on the gateway. To check, look at the gateway's installed version and whether the IDENTITY_PROPAGATION_ENABLED setting is true.Source: ibm.com
How do I fix CVE-2026-110278?
Upgrade to v1.1.1 immediately.Source: ibm.com