This article examines the security implications of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) sampling feature in the context of a widely used coding copilot application.
MCP is a standard for connecting large language model (LLM) applications to external data sources and tools. We show that, without proper safeguards, malicious MCP servers can exploit the sampling feature for a range of attacks. We demonstrate these risks in practice through three proof-of-concept (PoC) examples conducted within the coding copilot, and discuss strategies for effective prevention.
Read more…
Source: Palo Alto Unit 42
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Juniper Networks Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products
January 12, 2023
Juniper Networks has released security updates to address vulnerabilities affecting multiple products. An attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system. CISA encourages users and administrators to review Juniper Networks’ security advisories page and apply the necessary updates. Read more… Source: U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- Fortinet: Government networks targeted with now-patched SSL-VPN zero-day
January 12, 2023
Fortinet says unknown attackers exploited a FortiOS SSL-VPN zero-day vulnerability patched last month in attacks against government organizations and government-related targets. The security flaw (CVE-2022-42475) abused in these incidents is a heap-based buffer overflow weakness found in the FortiOS SSLVPNd that allowed unauthenticated attackers to crash targeted devices remotely or gain remote code execution. The network security ...
- Iowa’s largest city cancels classes due to cyber attack
January 9, 2023
Iowa’s largest school district cancelled classes for Tuesday after determining there was a cyber attack on its technology network. Des Moines Public Schools announced Monday that classes would be cancelled for its 33,000 students after being “alerted to a cyber security incident on its technology network.” The district said in a news release that it took its ...
- Microsoft: Kubernetes clusters hacked in malware campaign via PostgreSQL
January 9, 2023
The Kinsing malware is now actively breaching Kubernetes clusters by leveraging known weaknesses in container images and misconfigured, exposed PostgreSQL containers. While these tactics aren’t novel, Microsoft’s Defender for Cloud team reports they have seen an uptick lately, indicating that the threat actors are actively looking for specific entry points. Kinsing is a Linux malware with a ...
- Darknet drug markets move to custom Android apps for increased privacy
January 9, 2023
Online markets selling drugs and other illegal substances on the dark web have started to use custom Android apps for increased privacy and to evade law enforcement. Besides ordering, these apps allow shop clients to communicate with drug vendors and provide specific courier instructions for delivery. This new trend has been observed by analysts at Resecurity around ...
- Malicious PyPi packages create CloudFlare Tunnels to bypass firewalls
January 7, 2023
Six malicious packages on PyPI, the Python Package Index, were found installing information-stealing and RAT (remote access trojan) malware while using Cloudflare Tunnel to bypass firewall restrictions for remote access. The malicious packages attempt to steal sensitive user information stored in browsers, run shell commands, and use keyloggers to steal typed secrets. The six packages were discovered ...

