security-scan-ports

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why security-scan-ports needs a policy

Port scanning is a read/reconnaissance operation that queries network state without modifying anything. However, it has moderate severity because scanning infrastructure can reveal sensitive topology information, may trigger security alerts, and could be misused to identify attack surfaces. The tool only reads/observes network state — it does not modify or execute anything on the targets.

From the tool's definition Scan for open ports on specified hosts

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access security-scan-ports gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control security-scan-ports

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Ansible, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for security-scan-ports:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "security-scan-ports": {}
  }
}

security-scan-ports is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Ansible — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

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EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

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Read tools on other servers

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Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about security-scan-ports

What does the security-scan-ports tool do? +

Scan for open ports on specified hosts. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Ansible MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on security-scan-ports? +

Register the Ansible MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for security-scan-ports: 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 Ansible. Nothing to install.

What risk level is security-scan-ports? +

security-scan-ports is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit security-scan-ports? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the security-scan-ports 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 security-scan-ports completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for security-scan-ports. 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 security-scan-ports? +

security-scan-ports is provided by the Ansible MCP server (washyu/ansible-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Ansible tool call.

Start from Ansible, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →