NetLicensing-MCP: Unauthenticated Use of Server-Side NetLicensing API Key in HTTP Mode

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

8.1 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

• CVE-2026-54446: 0.62% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 49.72 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Unauthenticated Use of Server-Side NetLicensing API Key in HTTP Mode Summary When netlicensing-mcp is run in HTTP transport mode, the ApiKeyMiddleware fails to enforce authentication: requests that carry no client API key are unconditionally forwarded to the next handler (server.py:1427). The downstream HTTP client then falls back to the server operator's NETLICENSINGAPIKEY environment variable (client.py:30) and uses it to authenticate every upstream call to the NetLicensing REST API. An unauthenticated network attacker can therefore invoke any MCP tool — including product listing, license creation/modification, and destructive delete operations — entirely under the operator's identity and account quota. CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 8.1 (High). Details The HTTP transport is started in src/netlicensingmcp/server.py around line 1430 via mcp.streamablehttpapp(), and ApiKeyMiddleware is registered immediately after (line 1431). The middleware implementation (lines 1412–1427) attempts to extract…

Published by the source

14 Jul 2026, 20:47 UTC

Last modified by the source

22 Oct 2026, 08:27 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:55 UTC

1. Revision 3 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-x9vc-9ffq-p3gj

2. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-x9vc-9ffq-p3gj

3. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-x9vc-9ffq-p3gj

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-54446

Advisory: NetLicensing-MCP: Unauthenticated Use of Server-Side NetLicensing API Key in HTTP Mode
IDs: CVE-2026-54446, GHSA-x9vc-9ffq-p3gj
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-54446 (revision 3, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:55 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.1)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: netlicensing-mcp 0.1.6. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI netlicensing-mcp: affected <= 0.1.5; fixed in 0.1.6

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show netlicensing-mcp`: prints the installed version. Run with the environment that serves production active.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on netlicensing-mcp.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-x9vc-9ffq-p3gj (OSV record GHSA-x9vc-9ffq-p3gj lists affected ranges: PyPI netlicensing-mcp >=0 <0.1.6 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-x9vc-9ffq-p3gj (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-x9vc-9ffq-p3gj lists affected ranges: PyPI netlicensing-mcp >=0 <=0.1.5)

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