MCP Security Best Practices
Specific guidance for securing Model Context Protocol implementations.
What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) enables AI models to securely connect to external data sources and tools. While powerful, it introduces new security considerations that must be addressed.
Standardized
Universal protocol for AI tool access
Extensible
Easy to add new tools and capabilities
Risk Surface
Each tool = new attack vector
Validate all MCP server responses before processing
Never trust MCP server responses. Validate all data types, check for malicious patterns, and sanitize outputs before processing.
# Validate MCP response
def validate_mcp_response(response: dict) -> bool:
if not isinstance(response, dict):
return False
if "tool" not in response or "result" not in response:
return False
# Check for suspicious patterns
dangerous_patterns = ["../", "<script", "import os"]
for pattern in dangerous_patterns:
if pattern in str(response.get("result", "")):
return False
return TrueRun MCP servers in isolated containers
Run each MCP server in an isolated container with minimal resources. Network access should be restricted to what's strictly necessary.
# Docker Compose MCP isolation
services:
mcp-server:
image: mcp-server:latest
deploy:
resources:
limits:
cpus: "0.5"
memory: 512M
networks:
- mcp-internal
network_mode: bridge
# No external network access
#
# Add seccomp profile for syscall filteringImplement least-privilege access for MCP tools
Implement least-privilege access. Each MCP tool should have explicit permissions, and agents should only access tools they genuinely need.
# MCP permissions configuration
mcp_tools:
filesystem:
allowed_paths: ["/data/agent/workspace"]
read_only: true
network:
allowed_domains: ["api.example.com"]
max_requests_per_minute: 10
execution:
timeout_seconds: 30
memory_limit: "256M"Regular security audits of MCP configurations
Regular security audits are essential. Review MCP configurations, test for prompt injection vulnerabilities, and verify isolation mechanisms.
- ✓Review all MCP server permissions monthly
- ✓Test prompt injection against each MCP tool
- ✓Verify container isolation and resource limits
- ✓Audit logs for unusual MCP activity
- ✓Update MCP servers regularly for security patches