How can Zero-Trust be applied to the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?

[ChristopherTHyatt]

With the rise of the Model Context Protocol (MCP), AI agents are now able to query live data, invoke tools, and trigger workflows in real time—unlocking powerful capabilities but also introducing risks like prompt injection, insider misuse, and data exfiltration.

Our research introduces zMCP, a Zero-Trust Governance Layer for MCP, designed to ensure every AI request is:

• Authenticated with strong identity and context checks
• Evaluated against enterprise policies in real time
• Logged and auditable for compliance
• Continuously monitored, with re-authentication if context changes

zMCP integrates as a proxy or sidecar with your existing IAM, SIEM, and governance infrastructure, allowing you to start with monitoring and scale to enforcement as confidence grows.

Full paper available here: zMCP: A Zero-Trust Extension of the Model Context Protocol for Data Governance

Discussion starter: How can Zero-Trust principles be most effectively embedded into AI-to-system protocols like MCP?