damn-vulnerable-MCP-server

MCP.Pizza Chef: harishsg993010

Damn Vulnerable MCP Server (DVMCP) is an educational MCP server designed to demonstrate and teach security vulnerabilities within Model Context Protocol implementations. It features 10 challenges of increasing difficulty, illustrating various attack vectors and security flaws. This server is ideal for security researchers, developers, and AI safety professionals aiming to understand and mitigate risks in MCP environments.

Use This MCP server To

Learn MCP security vulnerabilities through hands-on challenges Test and analyze MCP implementations for security flaws Train developers on secure MCP server design Demonstrate attack vectors in MCP protocol usage Develop mitigation strategies for MCP security issues Educate AI safety professionals on MCP risks Benchmark security tools against MCP vulnerabilities Create security awareness workshops using MCP scenarios

README

Damn Vulnerable Model Context Protocol (DVMCP)

A deliberately vulnerable implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for educational purposes.

Overview

The Damn Vulnerable Model Context Protocol (DVMCP) is an educational project designed to demonstrate security vulnerabilities in MCP implementations. It contains 10 challenges of increasing difficulty that showcase different types of vulnerabilities and attack vectors.

This project is intended for security researchers, developers, and AI safety professionals to learn about potential security issues in MCP implementations and how to mitigate them.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standardized protocol that allows applications to provide context for Large Language Models (LLMs) in a structured way. It separates the concerns of providing context from the actual LLM interaction, enabling applications to expose resources, tools, and prompts to LLMs.

Recommended MCP Clients

CLINE - VSCode Extension refer this https://docs.cline.bot/mcp-servers/connecting-to-a-remote-server for connecting CLine with MCP server

getting started

once you have cloned the repository, run the following commands:

docker build -t dvmcp .
docker run -p 9001-9010:9001-9010 dvmcp

disclaimer

its not stable in windows environment if you don't want to docker please use linux environment I recommend Docker to run the LAB and I am 100% percent sure it works well in docker environment

Security Risks

While MCP provides many benefits, it also introduces new security considerations. This project demonstrates various vulnerabilities that can occur in MCP implementations, including:

  1. Prompt Injection: Manipulating LLM behavior through malicious inputs
  2. Tool Poisoning: Hiding malicious instructions in tool descriptions
  3. Excessive Permissions: Exploiting overly permissive tool access
  4. Rug Pull Attacks: Exploiting tool definition mutations
  5. Tool Shadowing: Overriding legitimate tools with malicious ones
  6. Indirect Prompt Injection: Injecting instructions through data sources
  7. Token Theft: Exploiting insecure token storage
  8. Malicious Code Execution: Executing arbitrary code through vulnerable tools
  9. Remote Access Control: Gaining unauthorized system access
  10. Multi-Vector Attacks: Combining multiple vulnerabilities

Project Structure

damn-vulnerable-mcs/
├── README.md                 # Project overview
├── requirements.txt          # Python dependencies
├── challenges/               # Challenge implementations
│   ├── easy/                 # Easy difficulty challenges (1-3)
│   │   ├── challenge1/       # Basic Prompt Injection
│   │   ├── challenge2/       # Tool Poisoning
│   │   └── challenge3/       # Excessive Permission Scope
│   ├── medium/               # Medium difficulty challenges (4-7)
│   │   ├── challenge4/       # Rug Pull Attack
│   │   ├── challenge5/       # Tool Shadowing
│   │   ├── challenge6/       # Indirect Prompt Injection
│   │   └── challenge7/       # Token Theft
│   └── hard/                 # Hard difficulty challenges (8-10)
│       ├── challenge8/       # Malicious Code Execution
│       ├── challenge9/       # Remote Access Control
│       └── challenge10/      # Multi-Vector Attack
├── docs/                     # Documentation
│   ├── setup.md              # Setup instructions
│   ├── challenges.md         # Challenge descriptions
│   └── mcp_overview.md       # MCP protocol overview
├── solutions/                # Solution guides
└── common/                   # Shared code and utilities

Getting Started

See the Setup Guide for detailed instructions on how to install and run the challenges.

Challenges

The project includes 10 challenges across three difficulty levels:

Easy Challenges

  1. Basic Prompt Injection: Exploit unsanitized user input to manipulate LLM behavior
  2. Tool Poisoning: Exploit hidden instructions in tool descriptions
  3. Excessive Permission Scope: Exploit overly permissive tools to access unauthorized resources

Medium Challenges

  1. Rug Pull Attack: Exploit tools that change their behavior after installation
  2. Tool Shadowing: Exploit tool name conflicts to override legitimate tools
  3. Indirect Prompt Injection: Inject malicious instructions through data sources
  4. Token Theft: Extract authentication tokens from insecure storage

Hard Challenges

  1. Malicious Code Execution: Execute arbitrary code through vulnerable tools
  2. Remote Access Control: Gain remote access to the system through command injection
  3. Multi-Vector Attack: Chain multiple vulnerabilities for a sophisticated attack

See the Challenges Guide for detailed descriptions of each challenge.

Solutions

Solution guides are provided for educational purposes. It's recommended to attempt the challenges on your own before consulting the solutions.

See the Solutions Guide for detailed solutions to each challenge.

Disclaimer

This project is for educational purposes only. The vulnerabilities demonstrated in this project should never be implemented in production systems. Always follow security best practices when implementing MCP servers.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author

This project is created by Harish Santhanalakshmi Ganesan using cursor IDE and Manus AI.

damn-vulnerable-MCP-server FAQ

How do I set up the Damn Vulnerable MCP Server?
Clone the GitHub repository, follow the README instructions to install dependencies, and run the server locally for testing.
Can I use this server to test real-world MCP implementations?
Yes, it is designed to simulate vulnerabilities that can appear in real MCP servers, making it useful for testing and research.
Is this server safe to run in production environments?
No, it is deliberately vulnerable and intended only for educational and testing purposes in controlled environments.
What kind of vulnerabilities does this MCP server demonstrate?
It includes challenges showcasing common security issues like injection attacks, improper access control, and data leakage.
Who is the target audience for this MCP server?
Security researchers, developers, and AI safety professionals interested in MCP security.
Does this server support integration with multiple LLM providers?
While the server focuses on vulnerabilities, it can be integrated with LLMs like OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini for testing context handling.
How can I contribute to the Damn Vulnerable MCP Server project?
Contributions are welcome via GitHub pull requests; check the contribution guidelines in the repository.
Are there any recommended practices to secure MCP servers after learning from this project?
Yes, the project encourages applying best practices such as input validation, strict access controls, and secure context management.