set_attack · Kali MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What set_attack does on Kali

AI agents invoke set_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 set_attack needs a policy

The Social Engineer Toolkit (SET) is an offensive security tool used to conduct phishing campaigns, spear-phishing attacks, credential harvesting, and malware delivery. Executing SET can compromise external systems and users.

From the tool's definition Execute Social Engineer Toolkit — SET is a framework specifically designed for social engineering attacks including phishing, credential harvesting, and payload delivery against human targets.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

set_attack Rate-limited

set_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": {
    "set_attack": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "set_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 set_attack

What does the set_attack tool do? +

Execute Social Engineer Toolkit. 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 set_attack? +

Register the Kali MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for set_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 set_attack? +

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

Can I rate-limit set_attack? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the set_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 set_attack completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for set_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 set_attack? +

set_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.