@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp: HTTP transport accepts unauthenticated requests despite a configured MCP_API_KEY
CVE-2026-62264 · GHSA-q344-5v34-gm84 · published 29 Oct 2026
How serious is it
- Severity: high, CVSS score 7.5 out of 10.
- No exploit prediction (EPSS) score yet.
- Not on the CISA list of exploited vulnerabilities.
- No public exploit in Exploit-DB.
Is your app affected by CVE-2026-62264?
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Who is affected
@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp(npm) >= 2.2.0, < 3.0.1
How to check
- Run
npm ls @sylphx/pdf-reader-mcpin your project to see the installed version, including copies pulled in by other packages. - Or paste your lockfile into the checker: it lists every package with a known vulnerability, this one included.
- Or run
npx shippable-dev scan localhost:3000in your project folder. It reads your lockfile and flags this vulnerability along with every other known one.
How to fix
Copies a prompt for Claude Code, Cursor or Codex: it checks your lockfiles for this and upgrades it.
- Upgrade
@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcpto 3.0.1 or later, commit the lockfile and redeploy. - If a vulnerable version was live, check your logs and rotate the secrets that server could read.
The advisory
### Impact
When `@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp` is run as an HTTP server (`MCP_TRANSPORT=http`), it reads the `MCP_API_KEY` environment variable and logs `API key authentication enabled (X-API-Key header)` at startup, but it never validated the `X-API-Key` header on incoming requests. The key was read into a variable and never enforced on the request path.
As a result, the `/mcp` endpoint accepted **unauthenticated** requests. Combined with the default bind address of `0.0.0.0` (all interfaces), any client able to reach the port could invoke every PDF tool and read the contents of any PDF the server process could open anywhere on the host. URL-based sources also enable limited SSRF (private/loopback addresses are blocked by default unless `--allow-private-ips` is set).
The misleading startup log made the exposure silent: an operator who set `MCP_API_KEY` reasonably believed the server was protected when it was not.
This affects only the opt-in HTTP transport; the default `stdio` transport is unaffected.
### Patches
Fixed in `@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp@3.0.1`. The fix enforces the `X-API-Key` header with a constant-time comparison (rejecting missing/mismatched keys with HTTP 401), changes the default bind host to `127.0.0.1` (loopback), and emits a startup warning when binding a non-loopback host without an API key.
### Workarounds
For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately:
- Bind to loopback only: `MCP_HTTP_HOST=127.0.0.1`.
- Place a reverse proxy in front that enforces authentication.
- Use the default `stdio` transport instead of HTTP.
- Restrict filesystem reach with `--allow-dir` / `MCP_PDF_ALLOWED_DIRS`.
Reported privately by **novice-22** via responsible disclosure.
Check your whole app
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References
- github.com/SylphxAI/pdf-reader-mcp/security/advisories/GHSA-q344-5v34-gm84
- github.com/SylphxAI/anymd/pull/332
- github.com/SylphxAI/anymd/commit/4c35f72862d729301e3912ab8c8317d2828cf4c2
- github.com/SylphxAI/anymd/releases/tag/v3.0.1
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-q344-5v34-gm84
Merged from GitHub Advisory Database. Last updated 30 Oct 2026. All vulnerabilities · RSS · JSON