Known vulnerabilities, privacy concerns, and security best practices for Cursor IDE. Stay informed and protect your development workflow.
Check if your AI-generated code has security vulnerabilities.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers in Cursor can execute arbitrary code on your machine. Malicious or compromised MCP servers could potentially access files, execute commands, or exfiltrate data.
Code opened in Cursor is sent to AI models for context. Malicious code containing prompt injection attacks could potentially influence AI responses, leading to generation of insecure or malicious code.
Cursor sends code context to Anthropic and OpenAI servers for AI processing. While encrypted in transit, this means proprietary code leaves your machine. Privacy Mode disables this but also disables AI features.
Cursor supports VS Code extensions, inheriting their supply chain risks. Malicious extensions could access code, credentials, and system resources.
Developers frequently paste code containing API keys, passwords, or secrets into Cursor's AI chat. These credentials are sent to external AI providers and may be logged or used for training.
Disables sending code to external AI servers. Your code stays local, but AI features are disabled.
Recommended: Use for proprietary or sensitive codebases
Exclude specific files or directories from AI context, similar to .gitignore.
Recommended: Add .env files, credentials, and sensitive configs
Cursor claims SOC 2 Type II compliance for enterprise customers.
Recommended: Verify compliance documentation for enterprise use
Run AI models locally to avoid sending code to external servers.
Recommended: Consider for maximum privacy, but reduced capabilities
Built something with Cursor? Our scanner checks for the common vulnerabilities in AI-generated code - exposed secrets, auth issues, and misconfigurations.
Scan Your App FreeCursor can be safe for work projects with proper precautions. Enable Privacy Mode for sensitive code, use .cursorignore for credentials, and review AI-generated code carefully. For highly confidential work, consider whether sending any code context to external servers is acceptable under your company's security policies.
According to Cursor's privacy policy, code sent to their servers is used for AI processing but not stored long-term or used for training without consent. However, code is processed by third-party AI providers (Anthropic, OpenAI) who have their own data policies. Enable Privacy Mode to keep all code local.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers can execute arbitrary code on your machine with the same permissions as Cursor. While this is how MCP is designed to work (it's not a bug), it means installing untrusted MCP servers is equivalent to running untrusted code. Only use MCP servers from sources you trust completely.
Go to Cursor Settings → Privacy → Enable 'Privacy Mode'. This prevents your code from being sent to external AI servers. Note that this disables most AI features - you'll need to use local models for AI assistance in Privacy Mode.
Cursor has access to files in your workspace and any files you explicitly open. It doesn't automatically scan your entire file system. However, MCP servers you install may have broader access depending on their configuration. Review MCP server permissions carefully.
For security-sensitive development, enable Privacy Mode and carefully review all AI-generated code. Be especially cautious with AI suggestions for authentication, encryption, and access control. Consider whether the AI productivity benefits outweigh the additional attack surface for your specific threat model.