MCP Security Best Practices

This guide covers security considerations and best practices for using Task Genius MCP integration safely and securely.

Security Overview

Task Genius MCP implements multiple security layers:

graph TD
    A[AI Client] -->|HTTPS/HTTP| B[MCP Server]
    B --> C[Authentication Layer]
    C -->|Token Validation| D[Authorization]
    D -->|App ID Verification| E[Session Management]
    E -->|Scoped Access| F[Task Operations]
    F -->|File System| G[Obsidian Vault]
    
    style C fill:#ff9800
    style D fill:#ff9800
    style E fill:#ff9800

Authentication & Authorization

Token Security

Token Generation:

Tokens are cryptographically random (32+ characters)
Generated using secure random functions
Unique per vault installation

Token Storage:

// ✅ Good: Stored in Obsidian's secure settings
{
  "mcpIntegration": {
    "authToken": "encrypted_token_here"
  }
}

// ❌ Bad: Hardcoded in configuration
const TOKEN = "abc123..."; // Never do this

Token Rotation:

Rotate tokens:

Every 90 days (recommended)
After any suspected compromise
When changing access patterns
Before major vault migrations

App ID Protection

The App ID provides an additional security layer:

Authorization: Bearer TOKEN+APP_ID

Benefits:

Vault-specific identification
Prevents token reuse across vaults
Enables audit trails
Supports multi-vault setups

Network Security

Local-Only Mode (Default)

Configuration:

{
  "host": "127.0.0.1",  // Local only
  "port": 7777
}

Security benefits:

No external network access
Protected from remote attacks
No firewall configuration needed
Ideal for single-user setups

Network Access Mode

⚠️ Only enable if necessary:

{
  "host": "0.0.0.0",  // All interfaces - USE WITH CAUTION
  "port": 7777
}

Required protections:

Firewall Rules:

# Allow only specific IPs
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 7777 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 7777 -j DROP

VPN/Tunnel:

# Use SSH tunnel instead of direct exposure
ssh -L 7777:localhost:7777 user@remote-host

Reverse Proxy with SSL:

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    ssl_certificate /path/to/cert.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/key.pem;
    
    location /mcp {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:7777;
        proxy_set_header Authorization $http_authorization;
    }
}

Data Protection

Sensitive Information

Never expose in tasks:

Passwords or API keys
Personal identification numbers
Credit card information
Private keys or certificates
Medical/financial data

Use references instead:

<!-- ❌ Bad -->
- [ ] Update database password to "MyS3cr3tP@ss"

<!-- ✅ Good -->
- [ ] Update database password (see vault)

Vault Encryption

Enable Obsidian vault encryption:

Use encrypted disk/volume:

# macOS FileVault
sudo fdesetup enable

# Linux LUKS
cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdX

# Windows BitLocker
manage-bde -on C:

Sync with encrypted services:

Use end-to-end encrypted sync
Enable 2FA on cloud services
Avoid public/shared folders

Backup Security

Secure backup practices:

# Encrypted backup
tar -czf - /path/to/vault | \
  openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -salt -out vault-backup.tar.gz.enc

# Restore
openssl dec -aes-256-cbc -in vault-backup.tar.gz.enc | \
  tar -xzf -

Access Control

Client Authentication

Verify client identity:

{
  "allowedClients": [
    "Claude Desktop",
    "Cursor",
    "Custom App"
  ],
  "requireClientCert": false,  // Future feature
  "ipWhitelist": [
    "127.0.0.1",
    "192.168.1.100"
  ]
}

Rate Limiting

Prevent abuse:

// Recommended limits
{
  "rateLimits": {
    "requestsPerSecond": 10,
    "requestsPerMinute": 100,
    "maxConcurrent": 5,
    "maxResponseSize": 10485760  // 10MB
  }
}

Session Management

Session security:

Sessions expire after inactivity (default: 1 hour)
Unique session ID per connection
Sessions bound to IP address
No session sharing between clients

Audit & Monitoring

Enable Logging

Set appropriate log level:

{
  "logLevel": "info",  // For production
  "logFile": "/path/to/mcp-audit.log",
  "logRotation": {
    "maxSize": "10MB",
    "maxFiles": 10
  }
}

Monitor Access Patterns

Watch for suspicious activity:

# Check access logs
grep "401\|403" mcp-audit.log  # Unauthorized attempts
grep "DELETE" mcp-audit.log     # Deletion operations
grep -c "query_tasks" mcp-audit.log | sort -n  # Excessive queries

Alert triggers:

Multiple failed authentication attempts
Unusual query patterns
Mass deletion requests
Access from unexpected IPs

Security Events

Log security-relevant events:

// Events to monitor
{
  "events": [
    "auth.failed",      // Failed authentication
    "auth.success",     // Successful login
    "token.regenerated", // Token rotation
    "task.deleted",     // Data deletion
    "config.changed",   // Configuration updates
    "server.started",   // Server lifecycle
    "server.stopped"
  ]
}

Secure Configuration Examples

Development Environment

{
  "mcpIntegration": {
    "enabled": true,
    "host": "127.0.0.1",
    "port": 7777,
    "authToken": "dev_token_only",
    "enableCors": true,
    "logLevel": "debug"
  }
}

Production Environment

{
  "mcpIntegration": {
    "enabled": true,
    "host": "127.0.0.1",
    "port": 7777,
    "authToken": "${MCP_AUTH_TOKEN}",  // From environment
    "enableCors": false,
    "logLevel": "warning",
    "ssl": {
      "enabled": true,
      "cert": "/path/to/cert.pem",
      "key": "/path/to/key.pem"
    }
  }
}

Team Environment

{
  "mcpIntegration": {
    "enabled": true,
    "host": "0.0.0.0",
    "port": 7777,
    "authToken": "${TEAM_MCP_TOKEN}",
    "enableCors": true,
    "ipWhitelist": [
      "192.168.1.0/24",  // Office network
      "10.0.0.0/8"       // VPN range
    ],
    "requireHttps": true,
    "logLevel": "info"
  }
}

Security Checklist

Initial Setup

Generate strong authentication token
Store credentials securely
Configure local-only access by default
Enable appropriate logging
Test authentication before use
Document security configuration

Regular Maintenance

Incident Response

If you suspect a security breach:

Immediate Actions:
- Disable MCP server
- Regenerate all tokens
- Review recent access logs
- Check for unauthorized changes
Investigation:
- Identify breach timeline
- Determine data accessed
- Find attack vector
- Document findings
Recovery:
- Restore from secure backup
- Implement additional controls
- Update security procedures
- Notify affected parties if needed

Common Vulnerabilities

1. Token Exposure

Risk: Tokens in version control

Prevention:

# .gitignore
*.json
config.json
.env
**/data.json

Detection:

# Scan for exposed tokens
git grep -E "Bearer [a-zA-Z0-9+/]{32,}"

2. Insecure Transport

Risk: Token interception on network

Mitigation:

Use HTTPS when possible
Implement VPN for remote access
Use SSH tunnels for security
Never use public WiFi unprotected

3. Excessive Permissions

Risk: Overly broad access

Mitigation:

Principle of least privilege
Separate read/write tokens (future)
Time-based access controls
Regular permission audits

Compliance Considerations

If handling EU personal data:

Implement data minimization
Provide data export capabilities
Enable deletion rights
Maintain audit logs
Document data processing

HIPAA Compliance

For healthcare-related tasks:

Encrypt data at rest and in transit
Implement access controls
Maintain audit trails
Regular security assessments
Business Associate Agreements

SOC 2 Requirements

For enterprise use:

Document security policies
Regular vulnerability assessments
Incident response procedures
Change management processes
Third-party audits

Security Tools

Testing Tools

# Test authentication
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:7777/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer INVALID" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize"}'
# Should return 401

# Test rate limiting
for i in {1..100}; do
  curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:7777/health &
done
# Should see rate limit errors

# Port scanning
nmap -p 7777 127.0.0.1
# Should show only expected port

Monitoring Scripts

#!/bin/bash
# monitor-mcp.sh

# Check for failed auth attempts
FAILURES=$(grep -c "401" /var/log/mcp.log)
if [ $FAILURES -gt 10 ]; then
  echo "Warning: $FAILURES failed auth attempts"
  # Send alert
fi

# Check for unusual activity
DELETES=$(grep -c "delete_task" /var/log/mcp.log)
if [ $DELETES -gt 50 ]; then
  echo "Warning: Unusual deletion activity"
  # Investigate
fi

Recommendations by Use Case

Personal Use

Local-only access (127.0.0.1)
Simple token authentication
Minimal logging
Regular backups

Small Team

VPN-based access
Shared token with rotation
Info-level logging
Encrypted backups

Enterprise

Zero-trust network model
Certificate-based auth
Comprehensive audit logging
Automated security scanning
Regular penetration testing

Next Steps

Review troubleshooting guide for security-related issues
Implement monitoring and alerting
Join security discussions
Report security issues privately to [email protected]

Security Report: If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it privately to [email protected]. Do not create public issues for security problems.

MCP Security Best Practices

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