# Confused Deputy

Source: https://customlabs.io/glossary/confused-deputy/
Updated: 2026-09-13

Security & governance

# Confused Deputy

A confused deputy is a component tricked into using more authority than a request deserves.

The MCP version runs through a gateway holding one delegated token for several downstream servers.

Forwarding that token unchecked lets the least-trusted server act with permissions the original grant never covered.

The fix is validating that a token names the receiving server, and never forwarding it elsewhere.

[MCP in Production](https://customlabs.io/mcp/)[AI Security Review](https://customlabs.io/security-review/)

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## Related terms

[MCP Gateway An MCP gateway is a shared layer in front of several MCP servers, centralizing controls.](https://customlabs.io/glossary/mcp-gateway/)[Model Context Protocol (MCP) MCP is an open standard for connecting LLM applications to tools and data sources.](https://customlabs.io/glossary/model-context-protocol/)

## More in Security & governance

[Data Processing Agreement (DPA) A DPA is the contract naming a vendor as a processor of personal data.](https://customlabs.io/glossary/data-processing-agreement/)[Data Residency Data residency is where data is physically processed and stored, not where users are located.](https://customlabs.io/glossary/data-residency/)[Red Teaming Red teaming is deliberately attacking your own AI system to find what breaks first.](https://customlabs.io/glossary/red-teaming/)[AI Register An AI register is a current list of every system that touches a model.](https://customlabs.io/glossary/ai-register/)