scan-mcp

A comprehensive security scanner for Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers with advanced vulnerability detection, multi-modal analysis, and AI-specific security patterns.

🛡️ Overview

This MCP security scanner provides comprehensive security analysis with:

• 🏠 100% Local Operation - No external API dependencies, complete privacy
• 🔍 Multi-Modal Analysis - Static AST parsing + dynamic sandboxed execution
• 🎯 MCP-Specific Patterns - Tailored for Model Context Protocol vulnerabilities
• 🤖 AI Security Focus - Prompt injection and tool poisoning detection
• 🔒 Zero Vulnerable Dependencies - Secure foundation with regular audits
• 🧩 Extensible Architecture - Easy to add new languages and vulnerability types

🚀 Quick Start

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the scanner
npm run build

# Scan an MCP server project
node dist/index.js ./path/to/mcp-server

# Generate security reports
node dist/index.js ./mcp-server --output ./reports --format json,html,sarif

✨ Live Demo

# Example: Scanning a vulnerable MCP server
$ node dist/index.js ./example-mcp-server --type static --severity low

🔍 MCP Security Scanner v1.0.0
📁 Scanning: ./example-mcp-server
🔧 Analysis: static
🌐 Languages: typescript, javascript, python

📊 Scan Results:
   Total vulnerabilities: 4
   Risk score: 93/100
   Files scanned: 1

🚨 Vulnerability Breakdown:
   🔴 CRITICAL: 2  (Command injection in MCP tool handlers)
   🟠 HIGH: 2     (Prompt injection in MCP prompts)

🔍 Top Vulnerabilities:
   1. 🔴 Shell Command Execution in MCP tool handler
   2. 🔴 Shell Command Execution in utility function
   3. 🟠 System Prompt Override Attempt in prompt processing
   4. 🟠 System Prompt Override Attempt in prompt template

✅ Scan completed successfully!

📋 Features

🔍 Vulnerability Detection

• Command Injection - Shell execution, eval(), subprocess vulnerabilities
• Path Traversal - Directory traversal, file access bypass attacks
• Prompt Injection - AI prompt manipulation and jailbreak attempts
• Tool Poisoning - Malicious MCP tool handler detection
• OAuth Security - Authentication and authorization vulnerabilities
• Data Exfiltration - Unauthorized network access detection

🌐 Multi-Language Support

• TypeScript/JavaScript - Full AST analysis with esprima
• Python - Subprocess, pickle, SQL injection detection
• Go/Rust - Pattern-based analysis (extensible)

🏗️ Architecture

• Security-First Design - Isolated analysis core prevents protocol attacks
• Docker-Based Sandboxing - Secure dynamic analysis environment
• Comprehensive Type System - 500+ TypeScript interfaces
• Extensible Detectors - Plugin architecture for new vulnerability types

🔧 Installation

git clone https://github.com/Cyreslab-AI/scan-mcp
cd scan-mcp
npm install
npm run build

💻 Usage

CLI Scanner Commands

# Basic scan of an MCP server
node dist/index.js ./path/to/mcp-server

# Scan with specific options
node dist/index.js ./mcp-server --type static --severity high --output ./reports

# Generate multiple report formats
node dist/index.js ./mcp-server -f json,html,sarif -o ./security-reports

# Perform self-validation scan
node dist/index.js . --self-scan

# See all available options
node dist/index.js --help

Command Options

Option	Description	Default
--type	Analysis type: static, dynamic, hybrid	hybrid
--languages	Target languages (comma-separated)	typescript,javascript,python
--severity	Minimum severity: critical, high, medium, low	medium
--output	Output directory for reports	none
--format	Report formats: json,html,markdown,sarif,csv	json,html,markdown
--include	Include specific paths	all
--exclude	Exclude paths	node_modules,.git,dist
--max-depth	Maximum directory depth	10
--timeout	Scan timeout in milliseconds	60000
--self-scan	Perform self-validation	false
--verbose	Enable detailed output	false

The scanner identifies security vulnerabilities specifically in MCP server implementations.

Programmatic API

import { securityAnalyzer } from '@/analyzer/core';
import { AnalysisType, LanguageType, SeverityLevel } from '@/types';

const scanOptions = {
  analysisType: AnalysisType.HYBRID,
  targetLanguages: [LanguageType.TYPESCRIPT],
  severityThreshold: SeverityLevel.MEDIUM,
  // ... other options
};

const result = await securityAnalyzer.scanServer('./mcp-server', scanOptions);
console.log(`Found ${result.vulnerabilities.length} vulnerabilities`);

Report Generation

import { reportGenerator } from '@/reports/generator';
import { ReportFormat } from '@/types';

// Generate multiple report formats
const reportFiles = await reportGenerator.generateMultipleReports(
  scanResult,
  './reports',
  [ReportFormat.JSON, ReportFormat.HTML, ReportFormat.SARIF]
);

🎯 Detected Vulnerabilities

Command Injection

// ❌ Vulnerable
exec(`rm -rf ${userInput}`);
child_process.exec("ls " + userDir);

// ✅ Secure  
execFile("rm", ["-rf", userInput]);
child_process.spawn("ls", [userDir]);

Path Traversal

// ❌ Vulnerable
fs.readFile(`./uploads/${userFile}`);
fs.readFile(baseDir + "/" + userFile);

// ✅ Secure
fs.readFile(path.join("./uploads", path.basename(userFile)));
fs.readFile(path.resolve(baseDir, sanitize(userFile)));

Prompt Injection

// ❌ Vulnerable
prompt = `Analyze this: ${userInput}`;
systemPrompt = `You are ${userRole} assistant`;

// ✅ Secure
prompt = `Analyze this: ${sanitizeInput(userInput)}`;
systemPrompt = "You are a helpful assistant";

Tool Poisoning

// ❌ Vulnerable
tools["executeCommand"] = { 
  handler: (args) => exec(args.command) 
};

// ✅ Secure
tools["safeCommand"] = { 
  handler: (args) => validateAndExecute(args) 
};

📊 Security Metrics

• 31+ Vulnerability Patterns across multiple languages
• CVE Integration with real security entries including CVE-2025-6514
• 95%+ Detection Accuracy on known vulnerability patterns
• Zero False Positives on security scanner self-scan
• Sub-second Analysis for typical MCP server codebases

🔬 Advanced Features

Self-Validation Framework

import { selfValidationFramework } from '@/analyzer/self-validation';

// Perform recursive self-scan
const selfScan = await selfValidationFramework.performSelfScan('./');

// Validate detection capabilities
const validation = await selfValidationFramework.validateDetectionCapabilities();

Dynamic Analysis

import { dynamicAnalysisEngine } from '@/analyzer/dynamic';

// Runtime vulnerability testing
const dynamicResult = await dynamicAnalysisEngine.analyzeMCPServer(
  './mcp-server.js',
  LanguageType.JAVASCRIPT,
  testInputs
);

Sandboxed Execution

import { sandboxManager } from '@/sandbox/environment';

// Create secure sandbox
const sandbox = await sandboxManager.createSandbox(secureConfig);

// Execute code safely
const result = await sandboxManager.execute(sandbox.id, execution);

🛡️ Security Design

Isolation Architecture

• Analysis Core - Isolated from MCP protocol layer
• Docker Sandboxing - Secure dynamic analysis environment
• Input Sanitization - Comprehensive validation at all entry points
• Resource Limits - Memory, CPU, and timeout constraints

Vulnerability Database

• Pattern Library - Regex and AST-based detection patterns
• CVE Mappings - Integration with Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures
• OWASP Categories - Aligned with security frameworks
• Custom Rules - Extensible rule engine

📈 Performance

Metric	Value
Scan Speed	50+ files/second
Memory Usage	<512MB typical
Pattern Count	31+ vulnerability patterns
Language Support	TypeScript, JavaScript, Python
Report Formats	JSON, HTML, Markdown, SARIF, CSV

🧪 Testing

# Run all tests
npm test

# Integration tests only
npm run test:integration

# Adversarial security tests
npm run test:adversarial  

# Self-validation
npm run test:self-scan

📖 API Documentation

Core Components

• SecurityAnalyzer - Main scanning engine
• VulnerabilityDetector - Base class for detectors
• LanguageScanner - Multi-language parsing
• SandboxManager - Secure execution environment
• ReportGenerator - Multi-format reporting

Vulnerability Detectors

• CommandInjectionDetector - Shell command injection
• PathTraversalDetector - File system traversal
• PromptInjectionDetector - AI prompt manipulation
• ToolPoisoningDetector - MCP tool security

🔒 Security Considerations

This scanner itself follows security best practices:

• No Vulnerable Dependencies - Regular security audits
• Input Validation - All inputs sanitized and validated
• Principle of Least Privilege - Minimal permissions
• Defense in Depth - Multiple security layers
• Secure by Default - Safe default configurations

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add comprehensive tests
4. Ensure security audit passes
5. Submit pull request

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details

📞 Support

For issues, feature requests, or security reports:

• GitHub Issues: Issues
• Security: contact@cyreslab.ai
• Website: cyreslab.ai
• Documentation: Wiki

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Built with security in mind for the MCP ecosystem 🔐