googleapis/mcp-toolbox: authentication bypass vulnerability in the generic opaque token validation path (validateOpaqueToken)GHSA-8fcc-w5hv-4gxv
Fix: googleapis/mcp-toolbox#3341GHSA-8fcc-w5hv-4gxv is a Improper Authentication vulnerability in github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox. A fix is available for github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-8fcc-w5hv-4gxv.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolboxReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in the generic opaque token validation path (validateOpaqueToken) of googleapis/mcp-toolbox.
When verifying an unparsed opaque token via an OAuth 2.0 introspection endpoint (RFC 7662), the toolbox decodes the response into an introspectResp struct where the Active field is declared as a pointer to a boolean (*bool). The code only explicitly rejects a token if the response contains a populated active field set to false (if introspectResp.Active != nil && !*introspectResp.Active). If an introspection endpoint responds with a payload that completely omits the mandatory active key, the internal variable remains nil, causing the conditional check to short-circuit. As a result, Toolbox accepts authorization tokens missing the "active" field, granting access to protected tools and underlying data sources.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox | all versions | 1.4.0go get github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox@v1.4.0 |
Affected Products
mcp toolbox for databasesgoogleDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox to 1.4.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-8fcc-w5hv-4gxv is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-8fcc-w5hv-4gxv in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.