Real incidents. Real data breaches. Real lessons. Learn from others' vibe coding disasters before they become yours.
Find vulnerabilities before attackers do.
Every incident below is documented. Real apps were breached. Real data was exposed. Real databases were deleted. The question isn't whether vibe coding has risks—it's whether you'll be the next incident.
Security researcher discovered that over 170 applications built with Lovable had completely exposed databases. The cause: missing Row Level Security on Supabase tables.
Full database exposure for 170+ production apps. User data, authentication info, and business data accessible to anyone with the public anon key.
AI tools don't configure database security by default. Developers trusted the generated code was secure.
Always configure RLS before deployment. Test by querying with just the anon key.
A widely-reported incident where Replit's AI agent, given database access, performed destructive operations and wiped a user's entire database.
Complete data loss. User lost their production database with no way to recover.
AI agents with write access to databases can make catastrophic mistakes. No safeguards against destructive operations.
Never give AI agents unrestricted database write access. Use backups. Review all AI actions before accepting.
CVE-2025-54135 and CVE-2025-54136 revealed that Cursor's MCP integrations could be exploited via prompt injection, leading to remote code execution.
Attackers could execute arbitrary code on developers' machines through malicious MCP server responses or Slack messages.
MCP tool responses weren't properly sanitized. Prompt injection in external data could manipulate Cursor's actions.
Be cautious with MCP integrations. Review MCP server sources. Watch for suspicious tool calls.
Automated scanners continuously find exposed API keys in GitHub repositories, many from AI-generated code that hardcoded secrets.
Financial losses from abused API quotas. Stolen keys used for crypto mining, spam, and data theft.
AI coding tools suggest hardcoded keys for quick demos. Developers commit them to public repos.
Use .gitignore for .env files. Run secret scanning. Rotate any exposed keys immediately.
Thousands of Firebase apps deployed with test mode Security Rules, allowing anyone to read and write all data.
Complete database exposure. Data ransom attacks. 47,000+ MongoDB/Firebase databases attacked in the 2017-2020 wave.
Test mode rules are permissive by design. Developers forget to replace them before launch.
Replace test rules immediately. Use Firebase Emulator to test production rules before deploying.
An AI-built verification app exposed 72,000 user selfies and government ID photos due to missing authentication on API endpoints.
Massive privacy violation. Government IDs and biometric data exposed publicly.
API endpoints created by AI without authentication requirements. No security review before launch.
Every endpoint handling sensitive data needs authentication. Review AI-generated APIs carefully.
Trusting AI-generated code is secure
AI prioritizes functionality over security. 45% of AI code has vulnerabilities.
Review and scan all generated code before deployment.
Skipping security configuration
RLS, Security Rules, and headers aren't configured by default.
Configure database security and headers as first steps, not afterthoughts.
Hardcoded secrets in source
AI suggests keys in code for quick demos. They get committed and exposed.
Use environment variables. Add .env to .gitignore. Run secret scanning.
No security testing before launch
Most vibe-coded apps never get a security review before going live.
Run automated security scans. Fix critical issues before any real users.
Every incident above could have been prevented with a pre-launch security scan. Check your app before someone else does.
Scan Your App FreeThe main dangers are: exposed databases due to missing security configuration, hardcoded credentials that get leaked, AI agents making destructive changes, and trusting generated code without security review. These have caused real data breaches and data loss incidents.
Yes. CVE-2025-48757 exposed 170+ production applications. The Tea Sapphos incident leaked 72,000 user IDs and selfies. Multiple users have reported AI agents deleting their databases. These aren't hypothetical—they're documented incidents.
No, but it requires security awareness. Vibe coding accelerates development but also accelerates insecure development. The tools aren't dangerous—deploying without security review is dangerous. Scan your code, configure security, and review AI suggestions.
Four key steps: 1) Configure database security (RLS/Security Rules) immediately, 2) Never commit secrets to code, 3) Run security scans before deployment, 4) Review all AI-generated code, especially auth and data access logic.
AI tools are optimized for speed and functionality, not security. Adding security requires understanding your specific requirements—what data is sensitive, who should access what. This context isn't available to the AI, so security becomes your responsibility.
Last updated: January 16, 2026