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Bolt MCP Kali - Production Deployment Guide

🚨 Root Privileges Problem

Many penetration testing tools require root privileges for:

  • Raw socket access (nmap SYN scans, masscan)
  • Promiscuous mode (tcpdump, wireshark)
  • Wireless interface control (aircrack-ng suite)
  • Network manipulation (responder, bettercap)

Default behavior: MCP server runs as non-root user → tools requiring root will fail or hang waiting for password.

🔧 Solutions

Option 1: Sudoers Configuration (Recommended for Production)

Pros:

  • ✅ Granular control over which tools can run with sudo
  • ✅ Easy to audit and maintain
  • ✅ Works for all tools immediately
  • ✅ Survives package updates

Cons:

  • ❌ Requires system admin to configure
  • ❌ Less secure than capabilities (but still safe with proper config)

Setup:

# 1. Install MCP server
npm install -g @cyberstrike-io/mcp-kali

# 2. Run sudoers setup script
sudo bash node_modules/@cyberstrike-io/mcp-kali/scripts/setup-sudoers.sh

# 3. Verify
sudo -l
# Should show: User kali may run the following commands on kali:
#     (ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/nmap, /usr/bin/masscan, ...

# 4. Test
mcp-kali-http

Customization:

Edit /etc/sudoers.d/mcp-kali to add/remove tools:

# Add new tool
sudo visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/mcp-kali

# Add to appropriate Cmnd_Alias:
Cmnd_Alias MCP_NETWORK = \
    /usr/bin/nmap, \
    /usr/bin/masscan, \
    /usr/bin/YOUR_NEW_TOOL

Option 2: Linux Capabilities (Most Secure)

Pros:

  • ✅ Most secure (minimum privilege principle)
  • ✅ No sudo required at runtime
  • ✅ Granular per-binary permissions

Cons:

  • ❌ Must be reapplied after package updates
  • ❌ Not all tools support capabilities
  • ❌ More complex to troubleshoot

Setup:

# 1. Install MCP server
npm install -g @cyberstrike-io/mcp-kali

# 2. Run capabilities setup
sudo bash node_modules/@cyberstrike-io/mcp-kali/scripts/setup-capabilities.sh

# 3. Verify
getcap /usr/bin/nmap
# Should show: /usr/bin/nmap cap_net_raw,cap_net_admin,cap_net_bind_service=eip

# 4. Test
mcp-kali-http

Post-Update Hook:

Create a script to re-apply after apt updates:

# /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99-reapply-caps
DPkg::Post-Invoke {
    "bash /opt/mcp-kali/setup-capabilities.sh 2>&1 | logger -t apt-caps";
};

Option 3: Run MCP Server as Root (NOT RECOMMENDED)

⚠️ SECURITY RISK - Only for isolated test environments

# DON'T DO THIS IN PRODUCTION!
sudo mcp-kali-http

Why this is dangerous:

  • 🚫 Any command injection → full root access
  • 🚫 Any MCP server bug → root compromise
  • 🚫 No isolation or sandboxing

Only acceptable for:

  • Isolated VM/container for testing
  • Temporary local development
  • Air-gapped penetration testing lab

🎯 Recommended Deployment Architectures

Architecture 1: Dedicated Kali VM (Recommended)

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Kali Linux VM (Isolated Network)  │
│                                     │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  MCP Server (non-root user)  │  │
│  │  + Sudoers config            │  │
│  │  Port: 3001                  │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                     │
│  Network: 10.0.50.0/24             │
│  Internet: Via proxy only          │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
          ↓ Ed25519 Auth
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Client Machine                     │
│  CyberStrike CLI                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Security:

  • ✅ Isolated VM
  • ✅ Sudoers whitelist
  • ✅ Ed25519 authentication
  • ✅ No internet access (except via proxy)

Architecture 2: Docker Container (Development)

FROM kalilinux/kali-rolling

# Install tools
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    nmap masscan tcpdump aircrack-ng \
    nodejs npm

# Install MCP server
RUN npm install -g @cyberstrike-io/mcp-kali

# Setup capabilities
COPY setup-capabilities.sh /opt/
RUN bash /opt/setup-capabilities.sh

# Non-root user
RUN useradd -m mcp
USER mcp

CMD ["mcp-kali-http"]

Note: Capabilities in containers require --cap-add=NET_RAW --cap-add=NET_ADMIN

Architecture 3: Systemd Service (Production Server)

# /etc/systemd/system/mcp-kali.service
[Unit]
Description=Bolt MCP Kali Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=mcp
Group=mcp
WorkingDirectory=/home/mcp
Environment=DATA_DIR=/var/lib/mcp-kali
Environment=MCP_ADMIN_TOKEN=your-secret-token
ExecStart=/usr/bin/mcp-kali-http
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

# Security hardening
NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true
ProtectSystem=strict
ProtectHome=true
ReadWritePaths=/var/lib/mcp-kali

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start:

sudo systemctl enable mcp-kali
sudo systemctl start mcp-kali
sudo systemctl status mcp-kali

📊 Tool Privilege Matrix

Tool Needs Root? Why Sudoers Capabilities Workaround
nmap (-sS) ✅ Yes Raw sockets ✅ Works ✅ Works Use -sT instead
nmap (-sT) ❌ No TCP connect N/A N/A -
masscan ✅ Yes Raw sockets ✅ Works ✅ Works No workaround
tcpdump ✅ Yes Promiscuous mode ✅ Works ✅ Works No workaround
aircrack-ng ✅ Yes Wireless control ✅ Works ✅ Works No workaround
wireshark ✅ Yes Packet capture ✅ Works ✅ Works Use tshark
sqlmap ❌ No HTTP requests N/A N/A -
nikto ❌ No HTTP scanner N/A N/A -
hydra ❌ No Network auth N/A N/A -
hashcat ❌ No CPU/GPU compute N/A N/A -
metasploit ❌ No Framework N/A N/A -

🧪 Testing After Setup

# 1. Test sudo (if using sudoers)
sudo nmap --version
# Should NOT ask for password

# 2. Test capabilities (if using capabilities)
getcap /usr/bin/nmap
# Should show: cap_net_raw,cap_net_admin,cap_net_bind_service=eip

# 3. Test MCP server
mcp-kali-http &
SERVER_PID=$!

# 4. Test tool execution from CLI
cyberstrike mcp list
# Should show kali-bolt connected

# 5. Test nmap through MCP
# Use cyberstrike CLI or test script

# 6. Check logs
tail -f ~/bolt-data/logs/current/tools.log

# 7. Cleanup
kill $SERVER_PID

🔒 Security Best Practices

  1. Principle of Least Privilege

    • Only grant sudo/capabilities to tools that NEED it
    • Review sudoers file quarterly
    • Remove unused tools

  2. Audit Logging

    • Enable sudo logging: Defaults log_input, log_output
    • Monitor MCP logs for suspicious activity
    • Set up alerts for repeated auth failures

  3. Network Isolation

    • Run MCP server in isolated network segment
    • Use firewall to restrict outbound connections
    • Consider VPN/bastion host for remote access

  4. Regular Updates

    • Keep Kali and tools updated
    • Re-apply capabilities after updates
    • Monitor CVEs for installed tools

  5. Credential Rotation

    • Rotate Ed25519 keys quarterly
    • Revoke unused client credentials
    • Use MCP_ADMIN_TOKEN for sensitive operations

📝 Troubleshooting

Problem: "sudo: no tty present and no askpass program specified"

Cause: Tool trying to run sudo but passwordless not configured

Solution:

sudo visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/mcp-kali
# Verify NOPASSWD is set

Problem: "Operation not permitted" with capabilities

Cause: Capabilities not set or reset after update

Solution:

sudo bash /opt/setup-capabilities.sh
getcap /usr/bin/nmap  # Verify

Problem: Tool hangs for 30 seconds then fails

Cause: Waiting for sudo password

Solution: Check MCP server logs:

tail -f ~/bolt-data/logs/current/tools.log
# Look for "password for" in output

Then apply sudoers/capabilities fix.

📚 References