Spectra Assure

warningRisk: Hardening

Scanned:

Azure MCP Server

Artifact:

Top 1k

Provides Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration and tooling for Azure in Visual Studio Code.

License: Permissive (MIT)

Published:

Publisher: ms-azuretools

Visit GitHub

See on Visual Studio Code

SAFE Assessment

Compliance

Licenses

No license compliance issues

Secrets

2 debugging symbols found

Security

Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities detected

Hardening

2 outdated toolchains detected

Threats

Tampering

No evidence of software tampering

Malware

No evidence of malware inclusion

List of software quality issues with the number of affected components.

Policies

Info

Problem

Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) is a group of enhanced compile-time checks that report common coding mistakes as errors. These checks prevent the use of hard-to-secure string manipulation functions. They enforce static memory access checks, and allow only the use of range-verified string parsing functions. While these checks do not prevent every memory corruption issue by themselves, they do help reduce the likelihood.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

26 packages

found in

Top 100

110 packages

found in

Top 1k

219 packages

found in

Top 10k

867 packages

in community

Next steps

It's highly recommended to enable these checks for all software components used at security boundaries, or those that process user controlled inputs.

To enable these checks, refer to your programming language toolchain documentation.

In Microsoft VisualStudio, you can enable this feature by setting the compiler option /SDL to ON.

Problem

Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are structured addresses that point to locations and assets on the internet. URLs allow software developers to build complex applications that exchange data with servers that can be hosted in multiple geographical regions. URLs can commonly be found embedded in documentation, configuration files, source code and compiled binaries. One or more embedded URLs were discovered to link to raw files hosted on GitHub. Attackers often abuse popular web services to host malicious payloads. Since code-sharing services URLs are typically allowed by security solutions, using them for payload delivery increases the odds that the malicious code will reach the user. While the presence of code-sharing service locations does not imply malicious intent, all of their uses in a software package should be documented and approved. An increasing number of software supply chain attacks in the open source space leverages the GitHub service to deliver malicious payloads.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

79 packages

found in

Top 100

622 packages

found in

Top 1k

4233 packages

found in

Top 10k

29.36k packages

in community

Next steps

Investigate reported detections.

If the software should not include these network references, investigate your build and release environment for software supply chain compromise.

You should delay the software release until the investigation is completed, or until the issue is risk accepted.

Consider an alternative delivery mechanism for software packages.

Problem

Export restrictions (or a restriction on exportation) are limitations on the quantity of goods exported to a specific country or countries by a Government. The United States Government has imposed export restrictions on a number of countries and regions. These restrictions may or may not apply to digital goods such as software and other related intellectual property. It is advised that the reported findings are put in the usage context so that they can be audited and reviewed by the legal department before the software package is deployed. Current list of countries with export restrictions includes: Cuba (.cu), Iran (.ir), North Korea (.nk) and Syria (.sy).

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

7 packages

found in

Top 100

35 packages

found in

Top 1k

79 packages

found in

Top 10k

356 packages

in community

Next steps

Investigate reported detections.

You should delay the software release until the legal review is completed.

Problem

Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) is a group of enhanced compile-time checks that report common coding mistakes as errors, preventing them from reaching production. These checks minimize the number of security issues by enforcing strict memory access checks. They also prevent the use of hard-to-secure string and memory manipulation functions. To prove the binary has been compiled with these checks enabled, the compiler emits a special debug object. Removing the debug table eliminates this proof. Therefore, this check only applies to binaries that still have their debug tables.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

43 packages

found in

Top 100

257 packages

found in

Top 1k

754 packages

found in

Top 10k

3.7k packages

in community

Next steps

You should keep the debug table to prove that the SDL process has been followed.

To enable these checks, refer to your programming language toolchain documentation.

In Microsoft VisualStudio, you can enable this feature by setting the compiler option /SDL to ON.

Problem

Program database (PDB) files are typically only used during software development. They contain private debug symbols that make it significantly easier to reverse engineer a closed-source application. In some cases, having a program database file is equivalent to having access to the source code. Presence of program databases could indicate that one or more software components have been built using a debug profile, instead of the release.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

7 packages

found in

Top 100

21 packages

found in

Top 1k

68 packages

found in

Top 10k

200 packages

in community

Next steps

Private debug database files should not be embedded within executables, and you should remove them from the software package before releasing it.

The integrity verification of the embedded database files should not be done with insecure hashing algorithms. SHA1 and MD5 hashes should be deprecated throughout the application, and a more secure SHA256 algorithm should be used instead.

Problem

Software components contain executable code that performs actions implemented during its development. These actions are called behaviors. In the analysis report, behaviors are presented as human-readable descriptions that best match the underlying code intent. While most behaviors are benign, some are commonly abused by malicious software with the intent to cause harm. When a software package shares behavior traits with malicious software, it may become flagged by security solutions. Any detection from security solutions can cause friction for the end-users during software deployment. While the behavior is likely intended by the developer, there is a small chance this detection is true positive, and an early indication of a software supply chain attack.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

60 packages

found in

Top 100

434 packages

found in

Top 1k

2301 packages

found in

Top 10k

13.88k packages

in community

Next steps

Investigate reported detections.

If the software intent does not relate to the reported behavior, investigate your build and release environment for software supply chain compromise.

You should delay the software release until the investigation is completed, or until the issue is risk accepted.

Consider rewriting the flagged code without using the marked behaviors.

Problem

Debug databases are typically only used during software development. On Windows, they are usually files embedded into the executable (PDB), while on Linux, they're contained inside special executable sections. The databases contain private debug symbols that make it significantly easier to reverse-engineer a closed-source application. In some cases, having a debug database is equivalent to having access to the source code. Presence of debug databases could indicate that one or more software components have been built using a debug profile, instead of the release. Private debug databases can be embedded into software components by programming language tools.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

32 packages

found in

Top 100

189 packages

found in

Top 1k

403 packages

found in

Top 10k

1.53k packages

in community

Next steps

To remediate this issue and remove private debugging information, refer to your programming language toolchain documentation.

Problem

Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are structured addresses that point to locations and assets on the internet. URLs allow software developers to build complex applications that exchange data with servers that can be hosted in multiple geographical regions. URLs can commonly be found embedded in documentation, configuration files, source code and compiled binaries. A port number is associated with a network address of a host, such as an IP address, and the type of network protocol used for communication. Within URLs, the ports are optional. Ports can be specified in a URL immediately following the domain name. Each network protocol, or schema, has a set of standard ports on which the service operates. This issue is raised when a mismatch between a network protocol and its expected port number is detected. While the presence of non-standard ports does not imply malicious intent, all of their uses in a software package should be documented and approved.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

79 packages

found in

Top 100

560 packages

found in

Top 1k

2912 packages

found in

Top 10k

17.75k packages

in community

Next steps

Investigate reported detections.

If the software should not include these network references, investigate your build and release environment for software supply chain compromise.

You should delay the software release until the investigation is completed, or until the issue is risk accepted.

Consider changing the port to one that is standard for the networking protocol.

Problem

Control Flow Guard (CFG/CFI) protects the code flow integrity by ensuring that dynamic calls are made only to vetted functions. This mitigation is detected as enabled, but its effectiveness is impacted by unexpected function alignment. For optimal protection, guarded functions must be aligned to the 16-byte boundary. Any misalignment leaves a small window for the malicious code to take advantage of an improperly secured code flow path.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

14 packages

found in

Top 100

56 packages

found in

Top 1k

104 packages

found in

Top 10k

391 packages

in community

Next steps

There are currently no programming language toolchain options to force proper function alignment. If this warning is issued for a file, it is likely that a future build, with some code changes, will make the compiler order the application code differently and eliminate the CFG coverage gaps.

Problem

Digital signatures are applied to applications, packages and documents as a cryptographically secured authenticity record. Signatures are made using digital certificates, which can either be purchased from certificate authorities or be self-issued. When a certificate is purchased from a certificate authority, the subject that requests it goes through an identity validation process. Depending on the certificate type, those checks can be basic or extended. Confirming the subject identity is a multi-step process, and the requesting subject can be mapped to its legal entity name only through extended validation of submitted documents. Extended identity validation typically costs more, and it takes longer for a certificate to be issued when this process is correctly followed.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

31 packages

found in

Top 100

127 packages

found in

Top 1k

356 packages

found in

Top 10k

1.42k packages

in community

Next steps

Consider the benefits of acquiring extended validation certificates. Operating systems tend to be more trusting of software packages signed in this way. Certain security warnings and prompts might also be automatically suppressed. This reduces the number of support tickets for organizations that opt to use extended validation certificates.

Did you know...

... that you can use ReversingLabs’ Spectra Assure platform to perform regular risk assessments of packages you develop in-house?

We recommend continuous software safeness monitoring through CI/CD integrations and pre-release/deployment checks. In addition to basic package information found on this page our platform offers rich reports for developers and DevSecOps that help them remediate all reported issues.

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List of software quality issues with the number of affected components.

Policies

Info

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

26 packages

found in

Top 100

110 packages

found in

Top 1k

219 packages

found in

Top 10k

867 packages

in community

Next steps

It's highly recommended to enable these checks for all software components used at security boundaries, or those that process user controlled inputs.

To enable these checks, refer to your programming language toolchain documentation.

In Microsoft VisualStudio, you can enable this feature by setting the compiler option /SDL to ON.

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

79 packages

found in

Top 100

622 packages

found in

Top 1k

4233 packages

found in

Top 10k

29.36k packages

in community

Next steps

Investigate reported detections.

If the software should not include these network references, investigate your build and release environment for software supply chain compromise.

You should delay the software release until the investigation is completed, or until the issue is risk accepted.

Consider an alternative delivery mechanism for software packages.

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

7 packages

found in

Top 100

35 packages

found in

Top 1k

79 packages

found in

Top 10k

356 packages

in community

Next steps

Investigate reported detections.

You should delay the software release until the legal review is completed.

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

43 packages

found in

Top 100

257 packages

found in

Top 1k

754 packages

found in

Top 10k

3.7k packages

in community

Next steps

You should keep the debug table to prove that the SDL process has been followed.

To enable these checks, refer to your programming language toolchain documentation.

In Microsoft VisualStudio, you can enable this feature by setting the compiler option /SDL to ON.

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

7 packages

found in

Top 100

21 packages

found in

Top 1k

68 packages

found in

Top 10k

200 packages

in community

Next steps

Private debug database files should not be embedded within executables, and you should remove them from the software package before releasing it.

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

60 packages

found in

Top 100

434 packages

found in

Top 1k

2301 packages

found in

Top 10k

13.88k packages

in community

Next steps

Investigate reported detections.

If the software intent does not relate to the reported behavior, investigate your build and release environment for software supply chain compromise.

You should delay the software release until the investigation is completed, or until the issue is risk accepted.

Consider rewriting the flagged code without using the marked behaviors.

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

32 packages

found in

Top 100

189 packages

found in

Top 1k

403 packages

found in

Top 10k

1.53k packages

in community

Next steps

To remediate this issue and remove private debugging information, refer to your programming language toolchain documentation.

Problem

Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are structured addresses that point to locations and assets on the internet. URLs allow software developers to build complex applications that exchange data with servers that can be hosted in multiple geographical regions. URLs can commonly be found embedded in documentation, configuration files, source code and compiled binaries. A port number is associated with a network address of a host, such as an IP address, and the type of network protocol used for communication. Within URLs, the ports are optional. Ports can be specified in a URL immediately following the domain name. Each network protocol, or schema, has a set of standard ports on which the service operates. This issue is raised when a mismatch between a network protocol and its expected port number is detected. While the presence of non-standard ports does not imply malicious intent, all of their uses in a software package should be documented and approved.

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

79 packages

found in

Top 100

560 packages

found in

Top 1k

2912 packages

found in

Top 10k

17.75k packages

in community

Next steps

Investigate reported detections.

If the software should not include these network references, investigate your build and release environment for software supply chain compromise.

You should delay the software release until the investigation is completed, or until the issue is risk accepted.

Consider changing the port to one that is standard for the networking protocol.

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

14 packages

found in

Top 100

56 packages

found in

Top 1k

104 packages

found in

Top 10k

391 packages

in community

Next steps

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

31 packages

found in

Top 100

127 packages

found in

Top 1k

356 packages

found in

Top 10k

1.42k packages

in community

Azure MCP Server

SAFE Assessment

Compliance

Security

Threats

SQ14140Detected Windows executable files compiled without following the SDL best practices while using banned string functions.Causes risk: misconfigured toolchains detectedhardening

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

TH17127Detected presence of files containing URLs that link to raw files on GitHub.hunting

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

TH18101Detected presence of files containing URLs that reside in regions with US export restrictions.hunting

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

SQ14138Detected Windows executable files that were compiled without following the recommended SDL process.Causes risk: misconfigured toolchains detectedhardening

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

SQ14160Detected Windows executable files that embed PDB files whose integrity is verified with an insecure hashing algorithm.Causes risk: outdated toolchains detectedhardening

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

TH15103Detected presence of files with behaviors commonly used by malicious software.hunting

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

SQ34203Detected presence of hardcoded debug databases.Causes risk: debugging symbols foundsecrets

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

TH17115Detected presence of files containing URLs that use non-standard ports.hunting

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

SQ14123Detected Windows executable files that might ineffectively implement CFG vulnerability mitigation protection.hardening

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

SQ20121Detected digital signatures that have not been performed with an extended validation certificate.signatures

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

Did you know...

SQ14140Detected Windows executable files compiled without following the SDL best practices while using banned string functions.Causes risk: misconfigured toolchains detectedhardening

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

TH17127Detected presence of files containing URLs that link to raw files on GitHub.hunting

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

TH18101Detected presence of files containing URLs that reside in regions with US export restrictions.hunting

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

SQ14138Detected Windows executable files that were compiled without following the recommended SDL process.Causes risk: misconfigured toolchains detectedhardening

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

SQ14160Detected Windows executable files that embed PDB files whose integrity is verified with an insecure hashing algorithm.Causes risk: outdated toolchains detectedhardening

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

TH15103Detected presence of files with behaviors commonly used by malicious software.hunting

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

SQ34203Detected presence of hardcoded debug databases.Causes risk: debugging symbols foundsecrets

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

TH17115Detected presence of files containing URLs that use non-standard ports.hunting

Problem

Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community

Next steps

SQ14123Detected Windows executable files that might ineffectively implement CFG vulnerability mitigation protection.hardening

Problem