nmapscan · Hacker MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What nmapscan does on HackerMCP

AI agents invoke nmapscan to trigger actions in HackerMCP. 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 nmapscan needs a policy

This tool runs nmap, an active network scanning utility, which sends packets to remote hosts. It executes external commands with user-supplied arguments, making it Execute category. The blast radius is high because an AI agent could scan unauthorized networks, trigger IDS/IPS alerts, or be used as a reconnaissance tool in an attack chain.

From the tool's definition 'Scan network using nmap with command' — executes nmap network scanning commands against potentially arbitrary targets

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

nmapscan Rate-limited

nmapscan 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": {
    "nmapscan": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "nmapscan_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 HackerMCP, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about nmapscan

What does the nmapscan tool do? +

Scan network using nmap with command. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the HackerMCP MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on nmapscan? +

Register the Hacker MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for nmapscan: 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 HackerMCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is nmapscan? +

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

Can I rate-limit nmapscan? +

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

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

nmapscan is provided by the Hacker MCP server (r3versein/hackermcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.