CVE-2026-97239 in MCP Content Manager Lite
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
Subscriber Broken Access Control in MCP Content Manager Lite <= 1.1.0 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The vulnerability identified as broken access control within the MCP Content Manager Lite software, specifically affecting versions up to and including 1.1.0, represents a critical flaw in how user privileges are enforced during content management operations. This type of security defect falls squarely under the category of CWE-269, which addresses Improper Privilege Management, and is frequently associated with CWE-862, Missing Authorization Checks. In modern web applications and content management systems, access control mechanisms must rigorously verify that a user has explicit permission to perform specific actions on particular resources before executing those actions. The flaw in this software suggests that the application fails to adequately validate whether the authenticated subscriber possesses the necessary rights to modify, delete, or view sensitive administrative data or other users' content.
From a technical perspective, broken access control vulnerabilities often manifest through insecure direct object references or horizontal privilege escalation mechanisms. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability would likely interact with the application's API endpoints or web forms by manipulating parameters such as user IDs, session tokens, or resource identifiers. By altering these inputs to reference objects belonging to other subscribers or administrative accounts, an unauthorized actor can bypass intended security boundaries. For instance, a standard subscriber might be able to access the profile settings of another user, view private documents not meant for their audience, or even execute administrative functions if the application incorrectly assumes that any logged-in session has elevated capabilities based on flawed logic in its backend processing layers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant and multifaceted. It directly compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data managed by the content management system. Confidentiality is breached as sensitive information belonging to other users or the organization becomes accessible to unauthorized individuals. Integrity is compromised because an attacker could alter, deface, or delete critical content without authorization, potentially disrupting business operations or damaging organizational reputation. In severe cases, if the access control flaw extends to administrative functions, it could lead to a complete compromise of the system, allowing for further exploitation such as remote code execution through uploaded malicious files or database manipulation. This aligns with several tactics in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly T1078 Valid Accounts and T1098 Account Manipulation, where attackers leverage valid credentials but exploit permission flaws to escalate privileges and maintain persistence within the environment.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require a multi-layered approach focusing on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The most critical step is to implement robust server-side access control checks that verify user permissions against every request, ensuring that authorization decisions are not reliant solely on client-side inputs or session states alone. Developers must adopt the principle of least privilege, granting users only the minimum level of access necessary for their role. Additionally, implementing consistent and centralized permission management logic can prevent inconsistencies across different modules of the application. Regular security testing, including automated static analysis and dynamic penetration testing focused on broken access control scenarios as defined in OWASP Top 10 guidelines, is essential to identify such flaws early in the development lifecycle. For organizations currently running affected versions, upgrading to a patched version that addresses these authorization checks is imperative, alongside reviewing logging mechanisms to detect any potential exploitation attempts through anomalous access patterns or unauthorized data retrieval events.