Executive Summary

On October 8, 2025, security researchers disclosed a high-severity command injection vulnerability, CVE-2025-53967, affecting the figma-developer-mcp Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. This open-source tool is used to connect AI coding agents with the Figma design platform. The vulnerability, which has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High), could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary system commands on the server where the tool is running. The flaw was discovered by researchers at Imperva in July 2025 and has since been patched. Developers and organizations using this tool are strongly advised to update to the latest version to prevent potential server compromise and data theft.

Vulnerability Details

• CVE ID: CVE-2025-53967
• CVSS Score: 7.5 (High)
• Description: The vulnerability is a classic command injection flaw. The MCP server improperly sanitized user-supplied input before incorporating it into a command-line string that is executed on the server. An attacker could inject shell metacharacters (e.g., ;, |, &&) into the input to append and execute arbitrary commands.
• Attack Vector: The attack can be performed remotely and without authentication. Imperva researchers noted that an attacker could potentially use indirect prompt injection to trick an AI coding agent (the MCP client) into sending a malicious payload to the vulnerable server, leading to RCE.

Affected Systems

• Product: figma-developer-mcp Model Context Protocol (MCP) server
• Versions: All versions prior to the patched release are considered vulnerable. Users should consult the project's repository for the specific patched version number.

Exploitation Status

There is currently no evidence of this vulnerability being exploited in the wild. It was responsibly disclosed to the project maintainers by Imperva, and a patch was made available before the public announcement.

Impact Assessment

Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-53967 could lead to:

• Server Compromise: An attacker could gain full control over the server running the figma-developer-mcp tool, with the privileges of the server process.
• Data Theft: The attacker could access and exfiltrate any sensitive data stored on the server, including source code, API keys, and other developer credentials.
• Lateral Movement: The compromised server could be used as a pivot point to launch further attacks against the internal developer network.
• Denial of Service: The attacker could disrupt the server or delete critical files, impacting development workflows that rely on the tool.

Cyber Observables for Detection

Detection Methods

• Dependency Scanning: Use software composition analysis (SCA) tools to scan developer environments and CI/CD pipelines to identify any projects using the vulnerable figma-developer-mcp package. This is an application of D3FEND's Software Update (D3-SU) process.
• Static/Dynamic Analysis (SAST/DAST): Employ application security testing tools to scan internally developed code for similar command injection flaws where user input is passed to a system shell. This aligns with Dynamic Analysis (D3-DA).
• Endpoint Monitoring: Use an EDR solution on developer servers to monitor for suspicious process creation events originating from the MCP server process.

Remediation Steps

1. Update Immediately (M1051): The primary remediation is to update the figma-developer-mcp package to the latest patched version. Developers should check their project dependencies and ensure they are no longer using a vulnerable version.
2. Input Sanitization: As a general best practice, developers should always treat user input as untrusted. Avoid passing user-controlled data directly to system shells. Instead, use parameterized queries or functions that do not interpret shell metacharacters.
3. Principle of Least Privilege: Run server processes like the MCP server with the minimum privileges necessary for them to function. This can limit the impact of a successful RCE exploit.