sublist3r_scan · Kali MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What sublist3r_scan does on Kali

AI agents invoke sublist3r_scan 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 sublist3r_scan needs a policy

Sublist3r performs active and passive subdomain enumeration by querying external services and sometimes brute-forcing DNS. While primarily a reconnaissance/read tool, it executes external queries and network operations against targets. On a Kali Linux pentesting server, such tools carry high misuse potential.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'sublist3r_scan' on a Kali Linux penetration testing server supporting 'network scanning, web scanning, password attacks' and 90+ tools. Sublist3r is a well-known subdomain enumeration tool.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

sublist3r_scan Rate-limited

sublist3r_scan 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": {
    "sublist3r_scan": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "sublist3r_scan_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 sublist3r_scan

What does the sublist3r_scan tool do? +

sublist3r_scan. 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 sublist3r_scan? +

Register the Kali MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for sublist3r_scan: 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 sublist3r_scan? +

sublist3r_scan is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.

Can I rate-limit sublist3r_scan? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the sublist3r_scan 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 sublist3r_scan completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for sublist3r_scan. 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 sublist3r_scan? +

sublist3r_scan 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.