Incident Response

This guide provides comprehensive incident response procedures specifically designed for Model Context Protocol (MCP) security incidents. MCP environments present unique challenges that require specialized response procedures beyond traditional web application incident response.

Community Discussion

💬 Incident Response Discussions - Share incident response experiences, lessons learned, and best practices with the security community.

MCP-Specific Incident Types

AI Agent Compromise

  • Malicious Agent Behavior - AI agents performing unauthorized actions
  • Prompt Injection Attacks - Attackers manipulating AI agent behavior through malicious prompts
  • Agent Credential Theft - Compromised API keys or authentication tokens used by agents
  • Financial Fraud - Unauthorized transactions or payments initiated by compromised agents

MCP Server Compromise

  • Server Takeover - Unauthorized access to MCP server infrastructure
  • Data Exfiltration - Sensitive data accessed or stolen through MCP interfaces
  • Supply Chain Attacks - Compromised MCP server dependencies or third-party components
  • Configuration Manipulation - Unauthorized changes to MCP server configurations

Infrastructure Incidents

  • Container Escape - Compromised MCP containers gaining host access
  • Network Intrusion - Unauthorized access to MCP server networks
  • Denial of Service - Attacks targeting MCP server availability
  • Compliance Violations - Incidents affecting regulatory compliance

Response Procedures

Immediate Response (0-30 minutes)

  1. Incident Detection & Triage - Identify and classify the security incident
  2. Containment - Isolate affected systems and prevent further damage
  3. Stakeholder Notification - Alert relevant teams and management
  4. Evidence Preservation - Secure logs and forensic evidence

Investigation Phase (30 minutes - 24 hours)

  1. Forensic Analysis - Detailed investigation of the incident
  2. Impact Assessment - Determine scope and severity of the incident
  3. Root Cause Analysis - Identify how the incident occurred
  4. Threat Intelligence - Gather information about attackers and methods

Recovery & Remediation (24-72 hours)

  1. System Restoration - Safely restore affected systems and services
  2. Vulnerability Patching - Address security weaknesses that enabled the incident
  3. Monitoring Enhancement - Improve detection capabilities
  4. Policy Updates - Revise security policies based on lessons learned

Specialized Considerations

AI Agent Incidents

  • Agent Behavior Analysis - Understanding what actions the compromised agent took
  • Prompt Forensics - Analyzing malicious prompts and injection attempts
  • Financial Impact Assessment - Evaluating unauthorized transactions or payments
  • Model Integrity - Ensuring AI models haven’t been compromised or poisoned

MCP-Specific Evidence

  • Agent Logs - Detailed logging of AI agent activities and decisions
  • API Call Traces - Complete audit trail of MCP server API interactions
  • Configuration History - Changes to MCP server configurations and policies
  • Payment Records - Financial transactions initiated by AI agents

Response Tools & Automation

This section will provide specific tools and automation for MCP incident response, including forensic collection scripts, containment procedures, and recovery automation.

Contributing

Help improve our incident response procedures by sharing:

  • Incident Case Studies - Anonymized examples of real MCP security incidents
  • Response Playbooks - Step-by-step procedures for specific incident types
  • Automation Scripts - Tools for automating incident response tasks
  • Lessons Learned - What worked and what didn’t in actual incident responses

This page is being developed with community input. Share your incident response experience in our discussions.