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Abstract

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) introduces a structurally distinct attack surface that existing threat frameworks, designed for traditional software systems or generic LLM deployments, do not adequately cover. This paper presents MCP-38, a protocolspecific threat taxonomy consisting of 38 threat categories (MCP-01 through MCP-38). The taxonomy was derived through a systematic four-phase methodology: protocol decomposition, multi-framework cross-mapping, real-world incident synthesis, and remediation-surface categorization. Each category is mapped to STRIDE, OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications (2025, LLM01 LLM10), and the OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications (2026, ASI01ASI10). MCP-38 addresses critical threats arising from MCPs semantic attack surface (tool description poisoning, indirect prompt injection, parasitic tool chaining, and dynamic trust violations), none of which are adequately captured by prior work. MCP-38 provides the definitional and empirical foundation for automated threat intelligence platforms.