# UIUC Security Requirements for Canvas MCP Server
## Executive Summary
This document evaluates the Canvas MCP server against security requirements applicable to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and similar educational institutions. The requirements are based on common university security standards, FERPA compliance, and best practices for educational technology systems.
## 1. Regulatory Compliance
### 1.1 FERPA Compliance (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
**Requirement**: Protect student educational records and personally identifiable information (PII).
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Data anonymization system (`ENABLE_DATA_ANONYMIZATION=true`)
- ✅ Student name anonymization to generic identifiers
- ✅ Email address masking
- ✅ Local-only processing (no external data transmission)
- ✅ Configurable privacy controls
**Gaps**:
- ⚠️ No audit logging for PII access
- ⚠️ No automatic PII detection in free-form text fields
- ⚠️ No data retention policy enforcement
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement audit logging for all PII access operations
2. Add PII scanning for submission content and discussion posts
3. Document data retention policies
4. Add automatic purging of temporary files containing PII
### 1.2 GDPR Considerations
**Requirement**: Data protection for international students (if applicable).
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Local processing (data minimization)
- ✅ User control over anonymization
- ⚠️ No explicit data export functionality
- ⚠️ No data deletion mechanism
**Recommendations**:
1. Add data export tool for user data portability
2. Implement secure data deletion procedures
3. Document data processing purposes
## 2. Authentication and Authorization
### 2.1 API Token Security
**Requirement**: Secure storage and handling of Canvas API credentials.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Environment variable storage (`.env` file)
- ✅ Token excluded from version control (`.gitignore`)
- ✅ HTTPS-only connections to Canvas API
- ⚠️ No token encryption at rest
- ⚠️ No token rotation mechanism
- ⚠️ No token expiration enforcement
**Gaps**:
- Token stored in plaintext in `.env` file
- No multi-factor authentication support
- No token scope limitation (Canvas limitation)
- No automatic token validation on startup
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement token encryption at rest using OS keychain/credential manager
2. Add token validation on server startup
3. Implement token expiration warnings
4. Document token rotation procedures
5. Add support for OAuth 2.0 flow where possible
### 2.2 MCP Client Authentication
**Requirement**: Authenticate MCP clients connecting to the server.
**Current Implementation**:
- ❌ No authentication between MCP client and server
- ⚠️ Relies on local system security
**Gaps**:
- Any local process can connect to MCP server
- No authentication for code execution requests
- No role-based access control
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement optional MCP client authentication
2. Add API key or certificate-based authentication
3. Implement role-based access control for sensitive operations
4. Add rate limiting per client
## 3. Data Privacy and Protection
### 3.1 Student Data Protection
**Requirement**: Protect student PII in all contexts.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Anonymization system for educator workflows
- ✅ Student-only tools use Canvas "self" endpoints
- ✅ Local processing only
- ✅ Configurable anonymization
- ⚠️ Anonymization bypass possible by disabling feature
**Gaps**:
- PII may appear in error messages or logs
- No automatic detection of PII in code execution results
- Anonymization mapping file not encrypted
**Recommendations**:
1. Sanitize all error messages and logs for PII
2. Encrypt anonymization mapping files
3. Add PII detection for code execution output
4. Implement automatic anonymization for sensitive endpoints
5. Add compliance mode that enforces anonymization
### 3.2 Data Transmission Security
**Requirement**: Secure all network communications.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ HTTPS enforced for Canvas API
- ✅ HTTP automatically upgraded to HTTPS
- ✅ Proper User-Agent header identification
- ⚠️ No certificate pinning
- ⚠️ No TLS version enforcement
**Recommendations**:
1. Enforce TLS 1.2+ for all connections
2. Consider certificate pinning for Canvas API
3. Implement certificate validation checks
4. Add network security configuration validation
## 4. Code Execution Security
### 4.1 TypeScript Code Execution
**Requirement**: Secure execution of user-provided code.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Temporary file isolation
- ✅ Timeout protection (120 seconds default)
- ✅ Local execution environment
- ⚠️ No sandboxing or containerization
- ⚠️ Full file system access
- ⚠️ Network access unrestricted
- ⚠️ No resource limits (memory, CPU)
**Gaps**:
- Code executes with full user permissions
- Can access Canvas API credentials
- Can make arbitrary network requests
- No code review or approval workflow
- No execution logging or monitoring
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement Docker/VM-based sandboxing for code execution
2. Add resource limits (memory, CPU, disk)
3. Restrict network access to Canvas API only
4. Implement code execution audit logging
5. Add optional code review/approval workflow
6. Implement static code analysis for security issues
7. Restrict file system access to temporary directories
8. Add execution environment isolation options
### 4.2 Dependency Security
**Requirement**: Ensure all dependencies are secure and up-to-date.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Pinned dependency versions in `pyproject.toml`
- ⚠️ No automated dependency vulnerability scanning
- ⚠️ No dependency update policy
**Recommendations**:
1. Add automated dependency scanning (Dependabot, Snyk)
2. Implement regular dependency update schedule
3. Add security advisory monitoring
4. Document dependency review process
## 5. Input Validation and Sanitization
### 5.1 Parameter Validation
**Requirement**: Validate all user inputs to prevent injection attacks.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Type validation via `@validate_params` decorator
- ✅ Parameter type coercion and checking
- ✅ Union/Optional type handling
- ⚠️ Limited SQL injection protection (not applicable - uses API)
- ⚠️ No HTML/JavaScript sanitization for user-generated content
**Gaps**:
- User-generated content (comments, posts) not sanitized
- No XSS protection for rendered content
- No command injection protection in code execution
**Recommendations**:
1. Add HTML/JavaScript sanitization for user content
2. Implement command injection protection
3. Add content security policy enforcement
4. Validate file uploads and attachments
5. Add rate limiting for input operations
## 6. Audit and Logging
### 6.1 Security Event Logging
**Requirement**: Log all security-relevant events for audit purposes.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Structured logging framework
- ✅ API request logging (optional via `LOG_API_REQUESTS`)
- ⚠️ No security event categorization
- ⚠️ No log aggregation or monitoring
- ⚠️ Logs may contain PII
**Gaps**:
- No authentication event logging
- No failed operation logging
- No anomaly detection
- No log retention policy
- Logs stored locally without protection
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement comprehensive security event logging:
- Authentication attempts (success/failure)
- Authorization failures
- PII access events
- Code execution requests
- API token usage
- Configuration changes
2. Add log sanitization to remove PII
3. Implement log rotation and retention policies
4. Add centralized log collection (optional)
5. Implement log integrity protection
6. Add anomaly detection and alerting
### 6.2 Access Logging
**Requirement**: Log all access to student data.
**Current Implementation**:
- ⚠️ No dedicated access logging
- ⚠️ No user action tracking
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement access logging for all student data operations
2. Log user identity, timestamp, resource accessed, and action
3. Add tamper-evident logging
4. Implement log review procedures
## 7. Secrets Management
### 7.1 Credential Storage
**Requirement**: Securely store and manage sensitive credentials.
**Current Implementation**:
- ⚠️ Environment variables in plaintext `.env` file
- ✅ `.env` excluded from version control
- ⚠️ No encryption at rest
- ⚠️ File permissions not enforced
**Gaps**:
- Credentials readable by any process with file access
- No secure credential rotation
- No credential backup/recovery
- No hardware security module (HSM) support
**Recommendations**:
1. Integrate with OS credential managers:
- macOS Keychain
- Windows Credential Manager
- Linux Secret Service API
2. Implement credential encryption at rest
3. Enforce file permissions (chmod 600 .env)
4. Add credential rotation workflow
5. Support external secret management (Vault, AWS Secrets Manager)
6. Add credential expiration monitoring
### 7.2 Temporary Credential Handling
**Requirement**: Secure handling of temporary credentials in code execution.
**Current Implementation**:
- ⚠️ Credentials passed to code execution environment
- ⚠️ Temporary files may contain credentials
- ✅ Temporary files deleted after execution
**Recommendations**:
1. Minimize credential exposure in code execution
2. Use credential proxies instead of direct access
3. Implement automatic credential cleanup
4. Add temporary credential expiration
## 8. Network Security
### 8.1 Rate Limiting
**Requirement**: Prevent abuse through rate limiting.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Canvas API rate limit handling (exponential backoff)
- ✅ Configurable `max_concurrent` requests
- ⚠️ No rate limiting for MCP clients
- ⚠️ No protection against DoS attacks
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement rate limiting for MCP client requests
2. Add per-operation rate limits
3. Implement request throttling
4. Add DoS protection mechanisms
### 8.2 API Security
**Requirement**: Secure Canvas API interactions.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ HTTPS enforcement
- ✅ Proper User-Agent headers
- ✅ Timeout protection
- ✅ Error handling with retry logic
- ⚠️ No request signing
- ⚠️ No API response validation
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement API response validation
2. Add request/response integrity checks
3. Implement API endpoint allowlisting
4. Add malformed response handling
## 9. Incident Response
### 9.1 Security Incident Detection
**Requirement**: Detect and respond to security incidents.
**Current Implementation**:
- ❌ No incident detection mechanisms
- ❌ No alerting system
- ❌ No incident response plan
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement security monitoring:
- Failed authentication attempts
- Unusual API usage patterns
- Large data exports
- Code execution anomalies
2. Add alerting for suspicious activities
3. Document incident response procedures
4. Implement automatic incident reporting
5. Add breach notification procedures
### 9.2 Vulnerability Management
**Requirement**: Manage and remediate security vulnerabilities.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ Security policy (SECURITY.md)
- ✅ Vulnerability reporting process
- ⚠️ No automated vulnerability scanning
- ⚠️ No patch management process
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement automated security scanning (CodeQL, Bandit)
2. Add vulnerability disclosure policy
3. Implement patch management process
4. Add security testing in CI/CD pipeline
5. Document remediation timelines
## 10. Compliance and Documentation
### 10.1 Security Documentation
**Requirement**: Maintain comprehensive security documentation.
**Current Implementation**:
- ✅ SECURITY.md with security best practices
- ✅ Privacy documentation in guides
- ⚠️ No security architecture documentation
- ⚠️ No threat model documentation
- ⚠️ No security testing documentation
**Recommendations**:
1. Create security architecture documentation
2. Develop threat model and risk assessment
3. Document security testing procedures
4. Add security configuration guide
5. Create security incident response plan
### 10.2 Compliance Monitoring
**Requirement**: Regularly verify compliance with security requirements.
**Current Implementation**:
- ❌ No compliance monitoring
- ❌ No security audits
- ❌ No compliance reporting
**Recommendations**:
1. Implement automated compliance checks
2. Schedule regular security audits
3. Add compliance reporting dashboards
4. Document compliance verification procedures
## Security Requirements Matrix
| Category | Requirement | Priority | Status | Implementation Effort |
|----------|-------------|----------|--------|----------------------|
| FERPA | Audit logging for PII access | High | ❌ Not Implemented | Medium |
| FERPA | Automatic PII detection | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | High |
| FERPA | Data retention policy | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | Low |
| Auth | Token encryption at rest | High | ❌ Not Implemented | Medium |
| Auth | Token validation on startup | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | Low |
| Auth | MCP client authentication | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | High |
| Privacy | PII sanitization in logs | High | ⚠️ Partial | Medium |
| Privacy | Encrypt anonymization mapping | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | Low |
| Code Exec | Sandboxing/containerization | Critical | ❌ Not Implemented | High |
| Code Exec | Resource limits | High | ❌ Not Implemented | Medium |
| Code Exec | Execution audit logging | High | ❌ Not Implemented | Low |
| Code Exec | Network access restriction | High | ❌ Not Implemented | Medium |
| Security | Dependency vulnerability scanning | High | ❌ Not Implemented | Low |
| Security | Automated security testing | High | ❌ Not Implemented | Medium |
| Logging | Security event logging | High | ⚠️ Partial | Medium |
| Logging | Access logging for student data | High | ❌ Not Implemented | Medium |
| Secrets | OS credential manager integration | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | High |
| Secrets | File permission enforcement | Low | ❌ Not Implemented | Low |
| Network | MCP client rate limiting | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | Medium |
| Network | API response validation | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | Low |
| Incident | Security monitoring & alerting | High | ❌ Not Implemented | High |
| Incident | Incident response plan | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | Low |
| Compliance | Automated compliance checks | Medium | ❌ Not Implemented | Medium |
## Priority Recommendations
### Critical (Immediate Action Required)
1. **Code Execution Sandboxing**: Implement Docker/VM isolation for code execution
2. **Security Audit Logging**: Log all PII access and security events
3. **Dependency Scanning**: Add automated vulnerability scanning to CI/CD
### High Priority (Within 30 Days)
1. **Token Encryption**: Encrypt Canvas API tokens at rest
2. **PII Sanitization**: Remove PII from all logs and error messages
3. **Code Execution Restrictions**: Add resource limits and network restrictions
4. **Security Testing**: Implement automated security test suite
5. **Access Logging**: Log all student data access events
### Medium Priority (Within 90 Days)
1. **MCP Client Authentication**: Add authentication layer for MCP clients
2. **Compliance Monitoring**: Implement automated compliance verification
3. **Incident Response**: Document and implement incident response procedures
4. **Security Documentation**: Complete threat model and architecture docs
5. **Rate Limiting**: Add client-side rate limiting
### Low Priority (Future Enhancements)
1. **OS Credential Integration**: Integrate with system credential managers
2. **Advanced Monitoring**: Implement anomaly detection and alerting
3. **Certificate Pinning**: Add certificate pinning for Canvas API
4. **GDPR Tools**: Add data export and deletion functionality
## Conclusion
The Canvas MCP server has a solid foundation for security with FERPA-compliant anonymization, HTTPS enforcement, and local processing. However, significant improvements are needed in:
1. **Code execution security** - Critical gap requiring sandboxing
2. **Audit logging** - Essential for compliance and incident response
3. **Secrets management** - Need encryption and better credential handling
4. **Security monitoring** - Lack of automated security controls
Implementing the critical and high-priority recommendations will bring the system into compliance with UIUC and similar university security standards.
## References
- [FERPA Regulations](https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html)
- [NIST Cybersecurity Framework](https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework)
- [OWASP Top 10](https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/)
- [Canvas API Security](https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/)
- [MCP Security Best Practices](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/security)
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*Document Version: 1.0*
*Last Updated: January 2026*
*Next Review: April 2026*
