By Alfredo Oliveira and David Fiser
Key Takeaways:
- MCP allows AI applications to securely access external data sources, but improper secret management creates significant risks.
- Many of our observed MCP configurations store sensitive credentials in plaintext files such as .env or JSON, making them vulnerable to theft and misuse.
- Around 48% of the MCP servers we have reviewed recommend unsecure storage methods, which threat actors can exploit to gain access to cloud resources, databases, or inject malicious code.
- Trend Micro recommends implementing centralized security controls, continuous auditing, and adopting secure configuration defaults, as well as leveraging solutions like Vision One™ – Cyber Risk Exposure Management – Cloud Risk Management for comprehensive protection.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open-source standard that enables AI applications to connect with external data sources and tools. It allows these applications to interact with systems like databases, APIs, and services using natural language. This makes it easier to construct complex workflows on top of LLMs in a more scalable way.
However, MCP-based systems also introduce…
