Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-48814: Network-AI: CVE-2026-46701 fix incomplete — empty default secret still authorizes all requests
Network-AI is a TypeScript/Node.js multi-agent orchestrator.
CVSS 9.1 Critical EPSS 0.5% · p43
Should you act?
Critical and remotely reachable
No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
- EPSS 0.5%, percentile 43: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 43% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
network-ai(npm) <= 5.7.1, fixed in 5.7.2. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
Network-AI is a TypeScript/Node.js multi-agent orchestrator. In versions 5.7.1 and earlier, the MCP SSE server allows unauthenticated cross-origin MCP tool invocation due to an empty default secret. This issue was partially addressed by CVE-2026-46701 in version 5.4.5 by closing the CORS flaw (with Access-Control-Allow-Origin now set only for localhost origins), but the empty-default-secret flaw described in the title remained: the SSE MCP server still defaulted to an empty secret, isAuthorized() still returned true when the secret was empty, and a non-loopback bind only produced a warning. As a result, the server still ran fully unauthenticated by default. Any non-browser caller (for example, curl, SSRF, or a 0.0.0.0 bind) could invoke all 22 MCP tools (configset, agentspawn, blackboardwrite, token) with no credentials. This issue was fixed in version 5.7.2.
From the GitHub advisory
Advisory / Disclosure
Network-AI — CVE-2026-46701 fix is incomplete: the "Empty Default Secret" unauth path survives
Target: Jovancoding/Network-AI (npm network-ai), latest v5.7.1 Status: the advisory ("Unauthenticated Cross-Origin MCP Tool Invocation via Empty Default Secret") named three flaws. The fix (5.4.5) closed the CORS flaw (Access-Control-Allow-Origin is now set only for localhost origins), but left the empty-default-secret flaw the title is about: the SSE MCP server still defaults to an empty secret, isAuthorized() still returns true when the secret is empty, and a non-loopback bind only warns. So the server still runs fully unauthenticated by default — any non-browser caller (curl, SSRF, or a 0.0.0.0 bind) can invoke all 22 MCP tools (configset, agentspawn, blackboardwrite, token) with no credentials. Class: CWE-306/CWE-862 Missing Authentication — incomplete fix. Methodology: M1 incomplete-fix audit (anchor = the 5.4.5 fix; sibling-walk on latest v5.7.1, executed). Severity: High (matches parent; the browser amplifier is removed, so exploitation now needs non-browser reach — SSRF or a non-loopback bind, which the fix only warns about).
What the fix did and didn't do (verified on latest v5.7.1) | advisory flaw | latest v5.7.1 | |---|---| | wildcard CORS (ACAO: ) | FIXED — lib/mcp-transport-sse.ts sets ACAO only when origin matches ^https?://(localhost\|127\.0\.0\.1)(:\d+)?$ | | empty default secret | NOT FIXED — bin/mcp-server.ts: secret: process.env['NETWORKAIMCPSECRET'] ?? '' | | isAuthorized open on empty secret | NOT FIXED — if (!this.opts.secret) return true; | | require secret / refuse unauth bind | NOT DONE — listen() only process.stderr.write('… WARNING …') on non-loopback bind, then listens anyway |
The advisory's remediation #1 ("Require a non-empty secret at startup … process.exit(1)") was not implemented.
Weakness type: CWE-306.
Product: network-ai (npm) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-06-17
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | network-ai | <= 5.7.1 | 5.7.2 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| Jovancoding | Network-AI | < 5.7.2 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_M | 3.1 | 9.1 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.52% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 43.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by GitHub_M
- — CVE record last updated
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-r78r-rwrf-rjwp published (critical)
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-r78r-rwrf-rjwp github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-48814 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-48814 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com