pacu_attack · Kali MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What pacu_attack does on Kali

AI agents invoke pacu_attack to trigger actions in Kali. 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 IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why pacu_attack needs a policy

The tool executes an exploitation framework (Pacu) which performs attack operations on cloud infrastructure. This is Execute category (runs code/triggers external operations) rather than merely querying, and the severity is critical due to the potential for widespread damage to AWS environments, including unauthorized access to cloud resources, data exfiltration, service disruption, and infrastructure compromise.

From the tool's definition 'Execute Pacu AWS exploitation framework' - this tool runs Pacu, an AWS exploitation framework designed to perform attacks against AWS infrastructure and services.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

pacu_attack Rate-limited

pacu_attack stays usable, but rate-capped — a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

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

RATE-LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Kali, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about pacu_attack

What does the pacu_attack tool do? +

Execute Pacu AWS exploitation framework. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Kali MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on pacu_attack? +

Register the Kali MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for pacu_attack: 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 Kali. Nothing to install.

What risk level is pacu_attack? +

pacu_attack is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.

Can I rate-limit pacu_attack? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the pacu_attack 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 pacu_attack completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for pacu_attack. 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 pacu_attack? +

pacu_attack is provided by the Kali MCP server (pentestt00ls/kali-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.