AI agents call reverse_shell_status to retrieve information from Zebbern Kali MCP without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves information about existing reverse shell sessions rather than creating, executing, modifying or destroying them. However, the high severity reflects that reverse shells are a critical attack vector in penetration testing, and information about active sessions could facilitate further compromise.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'reverse_shell_status' and description states it 'Get[s] the status of reverse shell sessions.' The verb 'get' and 'status' indicate a read/query operation with no direct modification of data.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access reverse_shell_status gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Zebbern Kali MCP, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for reverse_shell_status:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"reverse_shell_status": {}
}
}reverse_shell_status is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Get the status of reverse shell sessions. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Zebbern Kali MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Zebbern Kali MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for reverse_shell_status: 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 Zebbern Kali MCP. Nothing to install.
reverse_shell_status is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the reverse_shell_status 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.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for reverse_shell_status. 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.
reverse_shell_status is provided by the Zebbern Kali MCP server (zebbern/zebbern-kali-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 128 Zebbern Kali MCP tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
128 Zebbern Kali MCP tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.