Security Configuration Guide¶

Overview¶

This guide documents the security configuration options available in the MCP Standards Server and provides best practices for secure deployment.

Network Security¶

Bind Address Configuration¶

By default, all services bind to 127.0.0.1 (localhost) for security. This prevents unauthorized network access.

MCP Server¶

# Default (secure - localhost only)
python -m src.server

# Custom bind address (use with caution)
export MCP_HOST=192.168.1.100
python -m src.server

HTTP Server¶

# Default (secure - localhost only)
python -m src.http_server

# Custom bind address (use with caution)
export HTTP_HOST=192.168.1.100
python -m src.http_server

Web Backend¶

# Default (secure - localhost only)
python web/backend/main.py

# Custom bind address (use with caution)
export WEB_HOST=192.168.1.100
python web/backend/main.py

Security Best Practices¶

Production Deployment
Always use a reverse proxy (nginx, Apache) for external access
Never expose services directly on 0.0.0.0
Use TLS/SSL for all external connections

Environment Variables

# Secure configuration example
export MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1
export MCP_PORT=50051
export HTTP_HOST=127.0.0.1
export HTTP_PORT=8080
export WEB_HOST=127.0.0.1
export WEB_PORT=8000

Firewall Rules

# Allow only localhost connections
sudo ufw deny 50051
sudo ufw deny 8080
sudo ufw deny 8000

Dependency Security¶

Security Scanning¶

The project includes security scanning tools:

# Install development dependencies including security tools
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run dependency security scan
pip-audit

# Alternative security scan
safety check

Automated Security Checks¶

Add to your CI/CD pipeline:

- name: Security Audit
  run: |
    pip install pip-audit safety
    pip-audit
    safety check

Authentication & Authorization¶

JWT Configuration¶

For API authentication:

# Environment variables
JWT_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
JWT_ALGORITHM=HS256
JWT_EXPIRATION_HOURS=24

API Key Management¶

# Environment variables
API_KEY=your-api-key-here
API_KEY_HEADER=X-API-Key

Data Security¶

Redis Security¶

# Environment variables
REDIS_PASSWORD=your-redis-password
REDIS_SSL=true
REDIS_SSL_CERT_REQS=required

Database Security¶

# Environment variables
DATABASE_ENCRYPTION=true
DATABASE_SSL_MODE=require

Monitoring & Logging¶

Security Event Logging¶

# Environment variables
SECURITY_LOG_LEVEL=INFO
SECURITY_LOG_FILE=/var/log/mcp-standards/security.log
ENABLE_AUDIT_LOGGING=true

Metrics Security¶

# Prometheus metrics endpoint security
METRICS_AUTH_REQUIRED=true
METRICS_USERNAME=metrics_user
METRICS_PASSWORD=secure_password

Vulnerability Management¶

Regular Updates¶

# Check for outdated packages
pip list --outdated

# Update all dependencies
pip install --upgrade -r requirements.txt

Security Patches¶

Monitor security advisories: - GitHub Security Advisories - Python Security Announcements - NIST National Vulnerability Database

Incident Response¶

Security Contacts¶

Security Team: security@your-org.com
Incident Response: incident-response@your-org.com

Response Procedures¶

Detection: Monitor logs and alerts
Containment: Isolate affected systems
Eradication: Remove security threats
Recovery: Restore normal operations
Lessons Learned: Update security measures

Compliance¶

NIST Controls Implemented¶

AC-3: Access Enforcement
AC-4: Information Flow Enforcement
AU-2: Audit Events
IA-2: Authentication
SC-8: Transmission Confidentiality
SI-2: Flaw Remediation

Security Standards¶

OWASP Top 10 compliance
CIS Security Controls
ISO 27001 alignment