IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway up to 1.0.8 Admin API /v1/admin/logs/file str.startswith path traversal

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway up to 1.0.8. It has been classified as problematic. The affected element is the function str.startswith of the file /v1/admin/logs/file of the component Admin API. This manipulation causes path traversal. This vulnerability appears as CVE-2026-77825. The attack may be initiated remotely. There is no available exploit.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway up to 1.0.8. Affected by this vulnerability is the function str.startswith of the file /v1/admin/logs/file of the component Admin API. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a path traversal vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-22. The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality. The summary by CVE is:

IBM ContextForge MCP Gateway 1.0.0 through 1.0.8 was vulnerable to path traversal in its Admin API log-download endpoint (`GET /v1/admin/logs/file`). The path confinement check uses `str.startswith()` rather than proper boundary validation, allowing an authenticated admin to read `.log`, `.jsonl`, and `.json` files outside the configured `LOG_FOLDER` by supplying a filename that resolves into a sibling directory whose absolute path shares the log directory's string prefix.

The advisory is shared at ibm.com. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-77825 since 08/21/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be launched remotely. Additional levels of successful authentication are necessary for exploitation. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/24/2026). MITRE ATT&CK project uses the attack technique T1006 for this issue.

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

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Productinfo

Type

• Artificial Intelligence Software

Vendor

• IBM

Name

• ContextForge MCP Gateway

Version

• 1.0.0
• 1.0.1
• 1.0.2
• 1.0.3
• 1.0.4
• 1.0.5
• 1.0.6
• 1.0.7
• 1.0.8

License

• commercial

Website

• Vendor: https://www.ibm.com/

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Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

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