list_downloads

What list_downloads does on Cobalt Strike MCP Server

AI agents call list_downloads to retrieve information from Cobalt Strike MCP Server without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Why list_downloads is rated Low

This tool retrieves data about beacon activities without side effects, placing it in the Read category. However, severity is elevated to 'high' because in the context of a Cobalt Strike red team server, access to downloaded files intelligence could reveal sensitive exfiltrated data, compromise victim information, or expose operational security details.

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'list_downloads' and description states it 'List all file downloads from beacons'. The action is purely informational—querying and retrieving a list of downloaded files with no modification, deletion, or execution.

Risk signalsBulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets

The rule that runs list_downloads safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Cobalt Strike MCP Server, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For list_downloads, this is the rule to start with:

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "list_downloads": {}
  }
}

Questions about list_downloads