Arbitrary Remote Code Execution in DocsGPT

Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects DocsGPT, a GPT-powered chat for documentation, in versions from 0.15.0 up to but not including 0.16.0. An attacker who can access either the official DocsGPT website or any local or public deployment can craft a malicious payload that bypasses the "MCP test" security mechanism. By doing so, the attacker can achieve arbitrary remote code execution (RCE), meaning they can run any code they choose on the affected system.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring for attempts to send malformed JSON payloads to the `/api/mcp_server/test` endpoint, specifically those manipulating the "transport_type" parameter to "stdio" with embedded command parameters.

A proof-of-concept exploit involves sending such a crafted payload to the vulnerable DocsGPT server. Detection can involve inspecting logs or network traffic for suspicious POST requests to this endpoint.

Suggested commands to detect exploitation attempts include using tools like curl or network monitoring utilities to check for suspicious payloads:

• curl -X POST http://<target-ip>/api/mcp_server/test -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"transport_type":"stdio","command":"<malicious_command>"}'
• Use network monitoring tools (e.g., tcpdump, Wireshark) to filter HTTP POST requests to `/api/mcp_server/test` and analyze payload contents for the "transport_type":"stdio" parameter.
• Check application logs for unusual or malformed JSON payloads targeting the MCP STDIO configuration.

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Impact Analysis

The vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely without any privileges or user interaction. This can lead to complete compromise of the affected system, including unauthorized access, data theft, system manipulation, or further attacks within the network.

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Compliance Impact

CVE-2026-26015 is a critical unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected DocsGPT instances. This can lead to full system compromise, including data exfiltration and lateral movement.

Such a vulnerability poses significant risks to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data processed or stored by DocsGPT. Consequently, it can impact compliance with common standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require protection of sensitive personal and health information against unauthorized access and breaches.

Organizations using vulnerable versions of DocsGPT may face challenges in maintaining compliance due to the potential for unauthorized data access and system compromise until the issue is patched.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade DocsGPT to version 0.16.0 or later, where the issue has been patched.

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