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How to meet it OWASP AISVS v1.01

Model Context Protocol (MCP) Security · Schema, Message, and Input Validation

Don't fetch remote schema references

AISVS 10.4.14 Level 1

Verify that MCP implementations do not automatically dereference JSON Schema `$ref` values that resolve to network URIs, and that any opt-in external resolution is disabled by default and rejects loopback, link-local, and private network addresses.

OWASP AISVS v1.01, requirement 10.4.14

In plain English

Do not follow schema references that point to network addresses. If you must allow it, keep it off by default and block internal and loopback addresses.

What good looks like

  • Remote references are not resolved by default.
  • Any opt-in resolution blocks loopback, link-local and private addresses.
  • The setting is tested.

How teams usually do it

  • Disabling remote reference loading in the schema library.

Evidence an auditor would accept

  • Configuration and tests with internal addresses.

Common mistakes

  • Default library settings that fetch any URL in a schema.

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Requirement text from the OWASP AI Security Verification Standard, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This guidance is shared under the same licence.