spawn_powershell

What spawn_powershell does on Cobalt Strike MCP Server

AI agents invoke spawn_powershell to trigger actions in Cobalt Strike MCP Server. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call: builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

Why spawn_powershell is rated High

This tool allows execution of arbitrary PowerShell commands on remote systems via Cobalt Strike beacons. PowerShell execution can enumerate systems, modify configurations, install malware, exfiltrate data, disable security controls, and pivot laterally. The blast radius is critical: an AI agent could inadvertently execute destructive or exfiltrating commands, disable endpoint protections, or launch further attacks.

From the tool's definition Tool description states 'Execute PowerShell command on a beacon' — directly executes arbitrary code on a compromised system. Cobalt Strike is a red team framework where beacons are implants on target machines.

The rule that runs spawn_powershell 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 spawn_powershell, this is the rule to start with:

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "spawn_powershell": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "spawn_powershell_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Questions about spawn_powershell