MCP Atlassian: OAuth fallback token storage writes plaintext access and refresh tokens with group-readable permissions
Published Sep 22, 2026 · Updated Oct 23, 2026 · Also known as GHSA-g5xv-mhgm-v5f6
Original summary
Normalized public record · Updated Oct 23, 2026
MCP Atlassian: OAuth fallback token storage writes plaintext access and refresh tokens with group-readable permissions
Publisher and source text is retained separately from QFinch interpretation.
QFinch assessment
When OAuth tokens are saved, MCP Atlassian always writes a plaintext fallback copy under ~/.mcp-atlassian/oauth-<clientid>.json. The fallback file is created with the process default umask rather than restrictive permissions. In this environment the file was created as mode 0664, exposing access and refresh tokens to same-group local users and any process that can read the home directory.
Potential impact
A local user, container sidecar, compromised dependency, backup job, or other process with filesystem read access to the account's home directory can recover OAuth access and refresh tokens. Refresh tokens can allow continued Atlassian API access until revoked or expired, depending on the OAuth app and token policy. In shared hosts, Kubernetes volumes, developer workstations, and CI runners, this can lead to persistent Atlassian account compromise.
Technical context
OAuthConfig.savetokens() stores OAuth token data in keyring, but it also unconditionally maintains a plaintext file fallback for backwards compatibility in src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauth.py:350-386. If keyring saving fails it also falls back to the same file path in src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauth.py:387-391. The fallback writer creates ~/.mcp-atlassian and then writes oauth-<clientid>.json with a normal open(tokenpath, "w") call in src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauth.py:392-420. No mode=0o600, os.open(..., 0o600), chmod, or owner-only directory permission is applied. The file contains both accesstoken and refreshtoken (src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauth.py:360-367) and is later loaded from the same plaintext path in src/mcpatlassian/utils/oauth.py:450-470. The security policy warns that OAuth client credentials and secrets should not be exposed (SECURITY.md:39-44), but the current implementation creates a persistent plaintext token copy even when keyring succeeds.
Evidence: public source recordsAffected products
| Affected package, product or range | Fix status |
|---|---|
| Consult the referenced vendor advisory for affected versions. | Consult source advisory |
Matching a version is only one part of assessing exposure. QFinch has not assessed your environment on this public page.
Remediation
Apply the vendor-supported fixed release or mitigation, then verify the affected component is no longer reachable.
- Confirm the affected product and reachable code path exist in your environment.
- Apply the vendor-supported patch or mitigation from the primary advisory.
- Rescan the exact deployed revision and retain verification evidence.
Evidence coverage
- SSVC priority
- LOW
- Confidence
- Not available
- Aliases
- GHSA-g5xv-mhgm-v5f6
Scores appear only when corresponding evidence exists. Missing data is never interpreted as zero risk.
Sources and record history
Record history
Published Sep 22, 2026 · Last refreshed Oct 23, 2026