Learn MCP security
The eight checks Hecate runs, where it runs, and plain-language guides to the ways MCP tools turn on the agents that trust them.
turn on your agent.
Deterministic rules, mapped to the OWASP MCP Top 10.
- MCP001
Tool poisoning
Hidden instructions anywhere in a tool’s definition, parameter descriptions included: overrides, secrecy, exfiltration, hidden text.
- MCP002
Rug pulls
Tool definitions that change after you approved them, caught against a lockfile you commit.
- MCP003
Tool shadowing
A tool that tells the model how another server’s tools should behave, such as a silent BCC.
- MCP004
Excessive scope
Tools that run commands, write files steered by untrusted input, or get your whole disk.
- MCP005
Lethal trifecta
Untrusted content, private data and a way out, across every server one agent uses.
- MCP006
Secrets exposure
API keys, tokens and passwords in plain text in client configs and tool definitions.
- MCP007
Known-bad servers
Known-malicious or vulnerable packages, plus the allow and deny lists you set.
- MCP008
Unpinned sources
Packages without a version, images tagged
latest, and remote servers over plain HTTP.
Point it at a client config and add --connect to start each server and list its tools. Results come out as text, JSON, or SARIF for GitHub code scanning.
- Claude Desktop
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- VS Code
- Windsurf
- GitHub code scanning
docs.
Plain-language guides, with real attacks and the commands that catch them.
- Start here
MCP security: a practical guide
How agents get attacked through their tools, and the four habits that stop it.
- Attack
MCP tool poisoning
Instructions hidden in a tool description, and how to find them.
- Attack
MCP rug pulls
Tools that change after you approve them, and how pinning stops it.
- Attack
MCP tool shadowing
When one server's description hijacks another server's tools.
- Attack
The lethal trifecta
Why private data, untrusted content and a way out must never meet.
- Reference
OWASP MCP Top 10
Each risk explained, and what you can check for today.
- Reference
MCP scanners compared
Hecate, Snyk Agent Scan, Cisco MCP Scanner and Proximity, side by side.
- Docs
Detection rules
MCP001 to MCP008: what each finds, its severity, and how to fix it.
- Docs
Quickstart and CI
Scan your configs, pin tool definitions, and run Hecate in GitHub Actions.