GitHub MCP Server has Nil Pointer Dereference DoS in completion/complete Handler

### Summary A nil pointer dereference vulnerability in the GitHub MCP Server causes it to crash when receiving a malformed `completion/complete` request with missing or empty parameters. This allows any unauthenticated client to cause a complete denial of service. ### Details The `CompletionsHandler` function in `pkg/github/server.go:198` accesses `params.Ref` without checking if it's nil first. When a client sends a `completion/complete` request with a missing `ref` field, the handler dereferences nil and the Go runtime panics. The crash occurs before any authentication or token validation, so even requests with fake tokens can trigger it. ### PoC After completing the MCP initialization handshake, send either: **Empty params:** {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"completion/complete","params":{}} **Missing ref field:** {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"completion/complete","params":{"argument":{"name":"x","value":"y"}}} **Result:** panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference goroutine 42 [running]: github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/github.NewMCPServer.CompletionsHandler.func1(...) pkg/github/server.go:198 +0x24 ### Impact Any unauthenticated client that can send JSON-RPC messages to the server can crash it immediately. This is a complete denial of service - the panic is unrecoverable and kills the process. Automated fuzzing with mcpsec found 108 crashes out of 925 test cases (11.7% crash rate). ### Timeline - **Feb 21, 2026** - Initial report sent to [email protected] - **Mar 03, 2026** - Follow-up email sent, no response - **Mar 21, 2026** - Re-verified on v0.33.0, sent detailed report with PoC, no response - **Apr 06, 2026** - GHSA filed after 44 days without acknowledgment ### Suggested Fix func (s *Server) CompletionsHandler(ctx context.Context, params *mcp.CompleteParams) (*mcp.CompleteResult, error) { if params == nil || params.Ref == nil { return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid request: missing ref parameter") } // ... rest of handler }

Source published

28 Jul 2026 14:35:10 UTC

Source modified

18 Aug 2026 15:11:03 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:19:41 UTC

Source terms

GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0

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This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: osv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS_V3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Publisher rating · HIGH