Zero Trust
Zero trust is a security architecture that requires every access request to be verified, regardless of where it originates or what resource it accesses. It operates on the principle of "never trust, always verify": no user, device, or system is trusted by default, even if it is inside the corporate network perimeter.
Why It Matters
Traditional network security operated on a perimeter model: everything inside the firewall was trusted. Zero trust inverts this by treating every access attempt as potentially hostile. Each request is evaluated based on identity, device posture, location, and behavior before access is granted.
AI agents amplify the case for zero trust. Agents act across multiple systems in a single session, often on delegated authority. A zero trust architecture that evaluates each agent tool call independently, verifying identity and authorization at every step, is the natural governance model for autonomous actors.
In practice, zero trust for agents means session-scoped permissions (not standing roles), per-action policy evaluation (not blanket access), and continuous monitoring (not periodic audits). The architectural default for well-governed agents is zero trust by construction.