# CVE-2026-110279: IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway is affected by an improper authentication vulnerability

Status: published. Published: 2026-11-13. Updated: 2026-11-13.

IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway 1.0.0 through 1.1.0 is vulnerable to improper credential handling because the X-Upstream-Authorization request header can override the gateway-managed upstream credential for OAuth (authorization_code and client_credentials), bearer and basic authenticated gateways, which could allow an authenticated user to cause upstream requests to be made with a different credential and bypass per-user permission and audit attribution.

## Remediation

- fix: IBM strongly recommends addressing the vulnerability now.

Product(s)Version(s) number and/or range Remediation/Fix/InstructionsIBM ContextForge MCP Gateway2.0Download and deploy v1.1.1 [ Release notes v1.1.1 https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/releases/tag/v1.1.1 ] (source: CNA: ibm)
- workaround: Remove the X-Upstream-Authorization request header at the reverse proxy or API gateway in front of IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway for all MCP endpoints, and restrict network access to MCP endpoints to trusted networks. IBM strongly recommends upgrading to the fixed version. (source: CNA: ibm)
- fix: The reporting source identifies this reference as a patch. Check the advisory for affected versions and supported release branches. (source: CNA: ibm) — https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7296490

## Affected products and versions

- IBM / ContextForge MCP Gateway: ≥ 1.0.0; ≤ 1.1.0 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: ibm

## Severity and prioritization

- CVSS 3.1: 8.1 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N; source: CNA: ibm

- CVSS 3.1: 8.1 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N; source: NVD: psirt@us.ibm.com

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: Not available

- SSVC: Not available

- Weaknesses: CWE-287

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7296490 (CNA: ibm; vendor-advisory, patch)

- https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7296490 (psirt@us.ibm.com)

## Provenance

- CNA: ibm: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-110279; retrieved 2026-11-13; source updated 2026-11-13

- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-110279; retrieved 2026-11-14; source updated 2026-11-13

Revision: 715d0fae53f3fbb0970c8673a08d4141a48d91bf69f8b7b168a0f32c2826a382

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-110279

## Agent and API access

Public CVE pages, Markdown, and JSON are free to read without an account or API key.

- Public catalog: https://y2.dev/cve/index.json. Follow nextCursor with the same search, filters, sort, and limit (1–100). A null cursor marks the end.

- WebMCP: search_cve_disclosures, get_cve_disclosure, get_cve_page_markdown, get_y2_cve_access. Available in compatible browsers.

- Cyber API: https://api.y2.dev/api/v2/cyber/cves and https://api.y2.dev/api/v2/cyber/cves/{cveId}.

- Y2 Pro or Elite: create a workspace API key with the intel:cyber scope and send Authorization: Bearer <Y2_API_KEY>. Setup: https://y2.dev/docs/api/create-key.

- x402: Pay per request without an account or API key. Omit Authorization, read the HTTP 402 PAYMENT-REQUIRED challenge, validate its current requirements, and retry with PAYMENT-SIGNATURE through an authorized payment client. These browser tools never make payments. Guide: https://y2.dev/docs/api/x402.

- OpenAPI: https://y2.dev/api/openapi.yaml. Agent access metadata: https://y2.dev/cve/agent.json.

Collected public records only. Check source status for coverage and freshness.