mcp-use Inspector Proxy Server-Side Request Forgery via Caller-Supplied Target URL
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-918 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
The proxy middleware in mcp-use's inspector forwards requests to a destination the caller names. mountMcpProxy in libraries/typescript/packages/inspector/src/server/proxy/mcp-proxy.ts read the target from the X-Target-URL header or the __mcp_target parameter and proxied to it without inspecting the host, so loopback, link-local and private addresses were all accepted, as were names that resolve to them, and the validation was not reapplied to a redirect the destination returned. A caller could therefore make the server issue requests to addresses reachable only from the host it runs on and read the responses. The current code calls isSafeProxyTarget, which checks the resolved address against private, loopback and link-local ranges before proxying and bounds the number of redirects followed.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-81091
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-23qx-5wch-w72w
References
Sources
- CVE-2026-81091 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-81091 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-23qx-5wch-w72w · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences