MCP Vulnerabilities Every Developer Should Know
12 days ago
- #MCP-security
- #AI-vulnerabilities
- #supply-chain-risks
- MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standardized protocol for AI models to interact with data sources and tools, similar to HTTP for AI.
- Security risks in MCP include tool description injection, poor authentication, and supply chain vulnerabilities.
- Tool description injection allows attackers to embed malicious instructions in tool metadata, tricking AI agents into harmful actions.
- Authentication issues persist despite the MCP 2025-06-18 spec requiring OAuth 2.1, with many servers skipping or poorly implementing it.
- Supply chain risks involve tampered MCP packages (npm, Docker) leading to data breaches or code execution.
- Real-world incidents include exposed MCP servers, Supabase's Lethal Trifecta Attack, and GitHub MCP exploits.
- Composio offers solutions like managed authentication, granular permissions, and tool observability to mitigate MCP risks.
- The MCP ecosystem is growing rapidly, but security practices lag, leaving gaps like unsanitized tools and poisoned packages.