Definition
A technical standard — similar to a universal plug socket — that lets AI assistants and AI agents connect to external tools, databases, and services. It is rapidly becoming the dominant way companies wire their AI systems into real business data and actions. An AI agent uses MCP to, for example, read a file, query a database, or send an email on a user's behalf.
Why it matters
MCP has become a major attack surface: vulnerabilities in MCP servers can allow attackers to hijack what an AI agent does, steal the credentials it uses, or gain access to sensitive business systems. Multiple critical flaws in MCP implementations were disclosed in the findings period.