Modern Code Platforms (MCPs) such as integrated development environments (IDEs) and automation tools increasingly operate with powerful access tokens, including GitHub Personal Access Tokens (PATs) with repository-wide permissions and AWS credentials with administrative privileges. These tokens grant MCPs extensive capabilities, including filesystem access and API operations across all repositories or cloud resources. The core security problem is that MCPs currently lack runtime boundaries or sandboxing, meaning any malicious prompt injection or compromised MCP server can exploit these overprivileged tokens to exfiltrate sensitive data or perform unauthorized actions. Existing authentication mechanisms are inadequate: to perform even simple tasks like reading a single GitHub issue, tokens require full repository access, and OAuth 2.1 Rich Authorization Requests (RAR) that could offer granular, temporal scoping have seen no adoption. MCP Snitch is an open-source security proxy designed to fill this gap by mediating MCP operations with a default-deny whitelist approach, runtime permission prompts with user interface visibility, API key detection and blocking, and detailed operation logging. While MCP Snitch improves security posture, it does not mitigate supply chain attacks via compromised packages, persistence mechanisms such as SSH keys or cron jobs, or out-of-band network calls made directly from MCP servers. The threat highlights the urgent need for MCPs to evolve towards sandboxed execution environments and protocol-level security controls, similar to the decades-long evolution of browser security models. Until such native protections exist, proxy-based mediation remains the most practical defense against exploitation of overprivileged MCP tokens.

For European organizations, this threat poses significant risks, especially those heavily reliant on cloud services and software development platforms like GitHub and AWS. Unauthorized access via overprivileged tokens can lead to exfiltration of proprietary source code, intellectual property, and sensitive configuration data, potentially resulting in financial loss, reputational damage, and regulatory non-compliance under GDPR. The lack of runtime boundaries increases the attack surface for insider threats and supply chain compromises, which are particularly concerning for critical infrastructure and technology sectors prevalent in Europe. Additionally, the inability to granularly scope tokens forces organizations to accept broad access permissions, increasing exposure. The threat could disrupt development workflows and cloud operations if exploited, impacting availability and integrity of services. Given Europe's strong regulatory environment and emphasis on data protection, breaches stemming from this vulnerability could trigger significant legal and compliance consequences.

European organizations should implement proxy-based mediation layers like MCP Snitch to enforce whitelist-based access control and runtime permission requests, providing visibility and control over MCP operations. They should audit and minimize token scopes rigorously, applying the principle of least privilege even if current APIs do not fully support granular scoping. Monitoring and logging MCP activity comprehensively will aid in early detection of anomalous behavior. Organizations must also segregate environments to limit token exposure and avoid embedding long-lived credentials in MCPs. Investing in supply chain security practices, such as verifying package integrity and using trusted sources, will help mitigate related risks. Engaging with MCP and IDE vendors to advocate for sandboxed execution and protocol-level security primitives is critical for long-term risk reduction. Finally, training developers and security teams on the risks of overprivileged tokens and prompt injection attacks will improve organizational resilience.