Cursor
Security FAQ

Can Cursor apps be hacked?

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Short Answer

Yes. The realistic attack paths in a Cursor app are prompt injection in mcp servers and workspace trust exploitation — both routinely found by automated scanners within minutes of deployment.

Detailed Answer

Cursor-Specific Attack Vectors

These are the paths attackers actually take into Cursor applications — not a generic OWASP list, but what automated scanners and security researchers find when they look at Cursor apps specifically, given the stack (Supabase (Postgres + RLS) as the database):

  1. **Prompt Injection in MCP Servers**: Malicious content in MCP tool responses can execute arbitrary commands.

2. **Workspace Trust Exploitation**: Malicious .cursor/rules files execute when opening untrusted projects.

3. **Code Suggestion Security Flaws**: AI suggests vulnerable patterns: SQL injection, hardcoded secrets, weak auth.

4. **Privacy and Code Exfiltration**: Code sent to AI servers may expose proprietary logic or secrets.

5. **Supply Chain via Package Hallucination**: AI suggests non-existent packages that attackers could register.

**Supabase-Specific Risk**: Cursor apps typically ship with the public Supabase anon key embedded in frontend code. That is by design — but only works safely if Row Level Security is enabled on every table. Attackers routinely query Supabase endpoints directly using the anon key from your bundle. A single table without RLS is a full data leak.

Real-world example

CVE-2025-54135 (CurXecute): Slack messages could trigger remote code execution.

How these issues get discovered

This isn't targeted — automated scanners run across the entire internet looking for known patterns, and Cursor apps surface like everything else. Supabase URLs follow a predictable pattern (`*.supabase.co`), making Cursor apps easy to fingerprint. Once identified, the scanner probes the specific vulnerability classes listed above.

What a security scan of a Cursor app looks at

  • **Secret Detection** — Scans your codebase for any API keys, tokens, or credentials that should be in environment variables.
  • **Code Security** — Analyzes code patterns for common vulnerabilities like injection, XSS, and insecure dependencies.
  • **Database Security** — Tests your database configuration for proper access controls and security policies.
  • **Security Headers** — Verifies your deployed application has proper HTTP security headers configured.

Security Research & Statistics

10.3%

of Lovable applications (170 out of 1,645) had exposed user data in the CVE-2025-48757 incident

Source: CVE-2025-48757 security advisory

4.45 million USD

average cost of a data breach in 2023

Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023

500,000+

developers using vibe coding platforms like Lovable, Bolt, and Replit

Source: Combined platform statistics 2024-2025

Expert Perspectives

There's a new kind of coding I call 'vibe coding', where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists.

Andrej KarpathyFormer Tesla AI Director, OpenAI Co-founder

It's not really coding - I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy paste stuff, and it mostly works.

Andrej KarpathyFormer Tesla AI Director, OpenAI Co-founder

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More Questions About This Topic

How quickly can a Cursor app be hacked after it goes live?

Typically within hours. Cursor apps share recognizable fingerprints (supabase, firebase, postgres endpoints, framework headers), and automated scanners work through the fingerprint space continuously. An unprotected database or exposed key is usually found before the developer finishes setting up monitoring.

What do attackers look for first in Cursor apps?

Prompt Injection in MCP Servers. Malicious content in MCP tool responses can execute arbitrary commands. This is the highest-ROI finding for an attacker because it requires no interaction from the user and often exposes the full dataset at once. Secondary targets are workspace trust exploitation and related misconfigurations.

Has any Cursor app actually been breached?

Security incidents affecting vibe-coded apps are documented (CVE-2025-48757 alone exposed 170+ Lovable apps). While Cursor-specific public breaches vary, the vulnerability patterns — exposed keys, missing access controls, weak auth — are identical across platforms. An unscanned Cursor app has the same exposure profile as an unscanned Lovable or Bolt app.