CWE-384Weakness · CWE-384

CVE-2026-16496

HIGH · 8.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
98/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click 4 weeks old

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The terraform-mcp-server before version 1.1.0 is vulnerable to an authorization bypass in the streamable-HTTP stateful transport mode that may allow a user who obtains another user's MCP session ID to have their tool calls executed using that user's Terraform credentials. This vulnerability, CVE-2026-16496, is fixed in terraform-mcp-server 1.1.0.

In the news

Third-party coverage
Trending covered by 1 outlet this week · latest 4d ago

Surfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The terraform-mcp-server before version 1.1.0 has an authorization bypass in its streamable-HTTP stateful transport mode. An attacker who obtains another user's MCP session ID can execute tool calls using the victim's Terraform credentials, effectively hijacking the session and performing actions with the victim's cloud infrastructure access.

MitigationUpgrade terraform-mcp-server to version 1.1.0 or later to remediate this session hijacking vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed terraform-mcp-server version
    Run `terraform-mcp-server --version` or check the binary/package version installed in your environment
    Affected if Version is earlier than v1.1.0
  2. Locate server configuration file
    Find the configuration file (commonly config.json, config.yaml, or environment-based config) used by terraform-mcp-server - check common paths like /etc/terraform-mcp/, ~/.config/terraform-mcp/, or the working directory where the server is launched
    Affected if A configuration file exists and the server version is below v1.1.0
  3. Verify transport mode configuration
    Inspect the configuration file for the transport setting - look for entries such as `transport`, `http_transport`, or `streamable_http` that specify the transport protocol
    Affected if Transport mode is set to `streamable-http` or `streamable_http` (stateful mode) AND version is below v1.1.0
  4. Check session ID handling
    Review server logs or configuration for session token settings - look for `session`, `session_token`, or `auth` related configuration keys that control how MCP session IDs are generated or validated
    Affected if Session-based authentication is in use with streamable-HTTP transport and version is below v1.1.0

You are affected if terraform-mcp-server version is earlier than v1.1.0 AND the streamable-HTTP stateful transport mode is enabled, as this combination allows session hijacking via exposed MCP session IDs.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade terraform-mcp-server to version 1.1.0 or later to remediate this session hijacking vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

terraform-mcp-server 1.1.0

  1. Check the currently installed version of terraform-mcp-server
  2. Upgrade terraform-mcp-server to version 1.1.0 or later
  3. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-16496 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data