In your architecture, suppose a user can access a catalog but not a particular table, yet your MCP server has full access to that table. How would you prevent this privilege escalation?

Implement the principle of least privilege by giving the MCP server only the permissions it needs for its own operations. Use role‑based access control (RBAC) or attribute‑based access control (ABAC) to separate user roles from service roles. Store credentials in a secrets manager and rotate them regularly. Enforce row‑level or column‑level security in the database so that even if the server has a connection, it cannot query disallowed tables. Use a gateway or API proxy that validates the user’s token and scopes before forwarding requests to the MCP server. Log all access attempts and perform regular audits. If the MCP server must access the table for internal tasks, isolate that access in a separate service account with a narrow scope and monitor its usage. This layered approach ensures that a user’s catalog access cannot be abused to read sensitive tables.