MCPs Present Another Cyber Attack Vector. Here’s How to Secure Your Org’s MCP Servers.

The very technology designed to unlock the next wave of AI innovation has also quietly opened a new front in the cybersecurity war. Model Context Protocols, or MCPs, have spread like wildfire through enterprise tech stacks, but their design principles are now being turned against the organizations that rely on them.

MCPs act as the nervous system for modern AI, connecting powerful models to live, dynamic data sources. This rapid adoption is no surprise. “MCP’s architecture is designed for the kind of flexible, dynamic integrations that next-generation AI applications require,” says Matt Tanase, VP of Security Strategy at Palo Alto Networks. Dr. Kavya Pearlman, CEO of XRSI, calls it “the backbone infrastructure for AI integration,” a fundamental layer that allows AI agents to interact with the world in real-time. But this new backbone is proving to be a weak point.

How MCPs Open Up a New Attack Surface

Unlike the rigid, predictable APIs of the past, MCPs are built for a more fluid and complex world. “Unlike traditional APIs, MCP supports complex context structures,” which unfortunately “exposes new vectors for attack,” explains renowned security researcher Brian Krebs. This protocol acts as a standardized bridge, giving AI models direct lines to live enterprise data, a function highlighted by Docker’s Principal Security Architect, Sarah Lum. While this enables incredible functionality, it also creates a tempting target.

Hackers are already on the move. We’re seeing a rise in sophisticated MCP DNS rebind attacks, a method that tricks a server into communicating with a malicious destination. “The sophistication of these attacks can vary significantly,” notes Michael Buckbee, Head of Security Research at Varonis, whose team has analyzed these emerging threats. These aren’t just theoretical vulnerabilities; they are being actively exploited.

Real-World Breaches and Active Exploits

The warnings from researchers are being validated by discoveries in the field. In a startling admission, Microsoft confirmed it found “MCP servers running in production environments with direct access to customer databases,” a spokesperson revealed in June 2025. This kind of direct, unsecured access is a hacker’s dream.

To understand the risk, consider the simulated attack detailed in Cato CTRL’s latest Threat Research Report. Authored by Dr. Yossi Weizman, the report describes how a malicious package could serve as a backdoor, giving an attacker persistent access to a company’s internal network through the MCP layer. It’s a classic supply chain attack, reimagined for the age of agentic AI.

Specific vulnerabilities are also coming to light. A report from JFrog Security by Asaf Karas detailed CVE-2025-6515, a flaw that allows for prompt hijacking through the theft of session IDs in MCP ecosystems. This could allow an attacker to manipulate an AI agent into performing unauthorized actions or leaking sensitive data.

The Vulnerabilities Making MCPs a Target

The core of the problem is that many MCPs are being deployed with a “trust by default” mindset. “Current implementations often run with full system permissions… with no protection against malicious servers,” warns Red Hat Security Lead, Jane Richmond. This is like leaving the front door of your data center wide open.

A recent report from Akto, “2025 MCP Security Risks” by Preeti Arora, lays out the top threats plainly: prompt injection, tool poisoning, privilege escalation, and session manipulation are among the most critical risks. Compounding the issue is simple human error. “Hundreds of Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers on the Web today are misconfigured, unnecessarily exposing users,” writes Jennifer Lin, Senior Editor at Pomerium. These aren’t complex zero-day exploits but basic security hygiene failures that create massive openings for AI-driven cyberattacks.

Recommended Tech

As businesses connect more of their live data streams to AI agents via MCPs, the need to visualize and understand that data becomes paramount. The TechBull recommends looking at tools like Databox, which provides powerful business intelligence dashboards. By using a platform like Databox, you can monitor the very data that your MCP-powered applications consume, giving you a clearer picture of your operational landscape and helping you spot anomalies that might indicate a security issue.

Why Old Security Rules Don’t Apply

Many organizations assume their existing security stack will protect them, but MCPs operate differently. “The protocol doesn’t enforce authentication standards. The trust model assumes good actors,” according to the late, great Kevin Mitnick, who served as Strobes CTO. This inherent lack of baked-in security puts the onus entirely on the implementing organization.

Furthermore, security teams are often flying blind. A peer-reviewed paper by Dr. Ming Zhang (arXiv:2510.16558) highlighted inadequate logging and a lack of output verification as major gaps. Without detailed logs, it’s nearly impossible to trace an attacker’s steps after a breach. Michael Buckbee from Varonis also explained how DNS rebind attacks can cleanly bypass traditional perimeter firewalls, making them an especially dangerous threat in MCP environments.

The Industry Scrambles to Respond

The response from the tech industry has been mixed. Initially, some vendors were slow to act. “Vendors treat security reports as ‘not vulnerabilities’ due to protocol immaturity,” observed Strobes security auditor Rahul Mathur, pointing to a dangerous gap in accountability.

However, the tide seems to be turning. In a June 2025 interview, Anthropic’s head of AI policy, Alex Chohlas-Wood, discussed concrete plans for stronger MCP authentication standards. And at the Black Hat USA 2025 conference, NIST released its preliminary guidance for secure MCP deployments, a sign that regulatory bodies are taking the threat seriously. The lead author, Dr. Tanya Curry, emphasized the need for a standardized approach to security.

How to Secure Your MCP Servers Today

Waiting for new standards is not an option. “Securing Model Context Protocol servers requires a comprehensive, multi-layered approach,” recommends Rob Barnes, lead engineer at Practical DevSecOps. Organizations need to act now. Here are some immediate steps security leaders should take:

• Apply the Principle of Least Privilege. Restrict permissions and roles for all AI agents. As Preeti Arora of Akto noted, “Most incidents traced to overpermissioned agents.” Don’t give an AI agent access to your entire customer database if it only needs to query product inventory.
• Enforce Strict Authentication. According to guidance from the Docker MCP Security Team, all endpoints should require strict authentication, using standards like mutual TLS or OAuth to verify identities.
• Audit and Monitor Everything. Michael Buckbee of Varonis stresses the importance of regularly auditing agent interactions and logging all MCP requests. You can’t stop what you can’t see.
• Patch and Update Religiously. As new CVEs are disclosed, apply patches immediately. Following recommendations from security firms like JFrog is crucial to closing known exploits before they can be used against you.
• Run Fire Drills. The team at Palo Alto Networks advises organizations to conduct tabletop incident response exercises with simulated MCP attacks to ensure your team is prepared for a real event.

The Future Depends on Proactive Defense

The rapid rise of MCPs is a double-edged sword. It’s powering a new generation of intelligent applications, but it’s also creating a security debt that will come due. “Without a standard for operational security, MCP may become the next big breach vector,” warns Dr. Kavya Pearlman.

Protecting your organization requires a shift in mindset, moving from reactive defense to proactive security. This means continuous threat modeling, rigorous penetration testing, and ongoing staff training. The potential of MCP is undeniable, but as Matt Tanase of Palo Alto Networks puts it, that benefit is “immense, but only if security keeps pace.”