Researchers from AWS and Intuit have designed a zero-trust security framework for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), addressing threats like tool poisoning and unauthorized access through multi-layered defenses including Just-in-Time access control and behavior-based monitoring.
Zero trust is a cybersecurity model that assumes no entity is trustworthy by default, whether inside or outside the network, focusing on continuous verification and least privilege access.
| Tenet | Description |
|---|---|
| Never Trust, Always Verify | No person or computing entity is inherently trustworthy, regardless of their location inside or outside the network. |
| Principle of Least Privilege | Systems and data are locked down by default; access is granted only to the extent necessary to meet defined goals. |
| Multifactor Authentication | Requires a credential beyond the password to ensure someone is who they say they are. |
| Microsegmentation | Divides the corporate network into smaller zones, each requiring authentication to enter. |
| Continuous Monitoring | Constantly monitors network activity, verifies users, and collects information to spot anomalies. |
These tenets form the core principles of a zero trust architecture, which aims to minimize the exposure of sensitive data and applications, and to limit the "blast radius" of a successful cyberattack.
