HighCVE-2026-62264

    PDF Reader MCP: HTTP transport accepts unauthenticated requests despite a configured MCP_API_KEY (CVE-2026-62264)

    Published Last modified Sources: CVE.org, OSV, Hersteller

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    What is affected, what to do

    PDF Reader MCP is a Model Context Protocol server for reading PDF documents. In versions 2.2.0 and later prior to 3.0.1, when `MCP_TRANSPORT=http` enables the opt-in HTTP server, `@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp` reads `MCP_API_KEY` and logs that `X-API-Key` authentication is enabled but never validates the `X-API-Key` header on incoming requests.

    Update @sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp to version 3.0.1.

    Affected
    • SylphxAI Pdf-reader-mcp gte 2.2.0, < 3.0.1..*

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    7.5

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3

    7.5

    CVSS v3

    Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: CVE.org, OSV, Hersteller

    0.4 %

    EPSS score

    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 39.3

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    High
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    79.84 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    no public PoC known
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    7.5 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    7.5
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    0.4 %
    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    39.3
    High — this CVE ranks above the median of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 36%).
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    —
    Published
    CWE

    CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.

    Read in glossary
    CWE-200, CWE-287, CWE-306

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    PDF Reader MCP is a Model Context Protocol server for reading PDF documents. In versions 2.2.0 and later prior to 3.0.1, when `MCP_TRANSPORT=http` enables the opt-in HTTP server, `@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp` reads `MCP_API_KEY` and logs that `X-API-Key` authentication is enabled but never validates the `X-API-Key` header on incoming requests. The `/mcp` endpoint consequently accepts unauthenticated clients. With the default bind address of `0.0.0.0`, any client able to reach the port can invoke every PDF tool and read any PDF the server process can open on the host, despite the misleading authentication-enabled startup log. URL-based sources additionally permit limited server-side request forgery; private and loopback destinations are blocked by default unless `--allow-private-ips` is set. The default `stdio` transport is unaffected. This issue is fixed in version 3.0.1.

    Source: cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), CVE.org (MITRE), OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities), GitHub Security Advisories

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    SylphxAIpdf-reader-mcp
    • ≥ 2.2.0, < 3.0.1
    • —
    npm@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp
    • >= 2.2.0, < 3.0.1
    • 2.2.0
    • 3.0.1
    • 3.0.1

    Weakness classes (CWE)

    • CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

      Class

      The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.

      Entry at MITRE CWE-200

    • CWE-287Improper Authentication

      Class

      When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.

      Entry at MITRE CWE-287

    • CWE-306Missing Authentication for Critical Function

      Base

      The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.

      Entry at MITRE CWE-306

    References & sources

    • github.comSylphxAI/pdf-reader-mcp/security/advisories/GHSA-q344-5v34-gm84web
    • github.comSylphxAI/anymd/pull/332web, x_refsource_MISC
    • github.comSylphxAI/anymd/commit/4c35f72862d729301e3912ab8c8317d2828cf4c2web, x_refsource_MISC
    • github.comSylphxAI/anymd/releases/tag/v3.0.1web
    • github.comSylphxAI/pdf-reader-mcppackage
    • github.comSylphxAI/anymd/security/advisories/GHSA-q344-5v34-gm84x_refsource_CONFIRM
    • github.comSylphxAI/anymd/tree/v3.0.1x_refsource_MISC

    Changes to this CVE

    Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).

    1. ReceivedGitHub

      CVSS V3.1: AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

      Weakness type: CWE-287, CWE-200, CWE-306

      Description added or changed

      Show 10 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Descriptionadded
      —
      PDF Reader MCP is a Model Context Protocol server for reading PDF documents. In versions 2.2.0 and later prior to 3.0.1, when `MCP_TRANSPORT=http` enables the opt-in HTTP server, `@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp` reads `MCP_API_KEY` and logs that `X-API-Key` authentication is enabled but never validates the `X-API-Key` header on incoming requests. The `/mcp` endpoint consequently accepts unauthenticated clients. With the default bind address of `0.0.0.0`, any client able to reach the port can invoke every PDF tool and read any PDF the server process can open on the host, despite the misleading authentication-enabled startup log. URL-based sources additionally permit limited server-side request forgery; private and loopback destinations are blocked by default unless `--allow-private-ips` is set. The default `stdio` transport is unaffected. This issue is fixed in version 3.0.1.
      CVSSadded
      —
      AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
      Weakness type (CWE)added
      —
      CWE-287
      Weakness type (CWE)added
      —
      CWE-200
      Weakness type (CWE)added
      —
      CWE-306
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/62xxx/CVE-2026-62264.json">CVE-2026-62264</a>
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://github.com/SylphxAI/anymd/commit/4c35f72862d729301e3912ab8c8317d2828cf4c2
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://github.com/SylphxAI/anymd/pull/332
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://github.com/SylphxAI/anymd/security/advisories/GHSA-q344-5v34-gm84
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://github.com/SylphxAI/anymd/tree/v3.0.1

      Source identifier: security-advisories@github.com

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