detach-internet-gateway

THE RISK

Critical Risk

Why detach-internet-gateway needs a policy

Detaching an internet gateway is a disruptive, hard-to-reverse network change: it immediately severs internet access for all subnets and resources in the VPC. While the gateway itself isn't deleted, restoring connectivity requires re-attaching and reconfiguring routing, making this effectively irreversible in terms of operational impact.

From the tool's definition 'Detach an internet gateway from a VPC' — removing the attachment between an internet gateway and a VPC cuts off internet connectivity for all resources in that VPC

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access detach-internet-gateway gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control detach-internet-gateway

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and AWS MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for detach-internet-gateway:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "hide": [
    "detach-internet-gateway"
  ]
}

detach-internet-gateway disappears from the agent's tool list entirely, and any attempt to call it is denied. The rest of the server keeps working.

Create a free account and register AWS MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

RESTRICT THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

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All 54 AWS MCP Server tools →

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Go deeper

Critical-risk tools in AWS MCP Server → Every critical-risk tool this server exposes, in one view.
All critical-risk MCP tools → Every critical-risk tool across the catalogue, and the policy pattern that contains them.
The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Blast radius → How much damage one compromised or confused agent can do — and how to bound it.
Tool call approval → Approval gates on individual tool calls: auto-allow, prompt, or deny.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about detach-internet-gateway

What does the detach-internet-gateway tool do? +

Detach an internet gateway from a VPC. It is categorised as a Destructive tool in the AWS MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can permanently delete or destroy data. Block by default and require explicit approval.

How do I enforce a policy on detach-internet-gateway? +

Register the AWS MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for detach-internet-gateway: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches AWS MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is detach-internet-gateway? +

detach-internet-gateway is a Destructive tool with critical risk. Critical-risk tools should be blocked by default and only enabled with explicit human approval.

Can I rate-limit detach-internet-gateway? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the detach-internet-gateway rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.

How do I block detach-internet-gateway completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for detach-internet-gateway. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.

What MCP server provides detach-internet-gateway? +

detach-internet-gateway is provided by the AWS MCP Server MCP server (lokeswaran-aj/aws-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every AWS MCP Server tool call.

Start from AWS MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →