Skip to main content
INFORMATIVEDRAFTprotocol

Security — Conceptual Overview

Audience: Implementers, Architects, Security Engineers Governance Rule: DGP-30

1. What Security Refers To

Security in MPLP refers to the cross-cutting protection dimension that spans across all protocol layers. It concerns the trust boundaries, access controls, and audit mechanisms that implementations may provide.

Security is not a standalone security framework. It is a conceptual area where protocol-level considerations intersect with implementation-level security controls.

2. Conceptual Areas Covered by Security

Security concerns the following areas:

Conceptual AreaDescription
Role-Based AccessRelates to capabilities defined in Role module (plan.create, confirm.approve)
Approval WorkflowsConcerns human-in-the-loop patterns in Confirm module
Audit TrailsIs involved in Trace record semantics
Source IdentificationRelates to L4 integration event source requirements
State ScopingConcerns Context-based isolation boundaries

3. What Security Does NOT Do

Security explicitly does not:

  • ❌ Define cryptographic algorithms
  • ❌ Mandate specific authentication protocols (OAuth, SAML, etc.)
  • ❌ Prescribe network security measures (TLS, firewalls)
  • ❌ Define data classification levels
  • ❌ Constitute a security framework or compliance standard

4. Where Normative Semantics Are Defined

The normative semantics related to security are NOT defined on this page.

They are distributed across:

Normative SourceWhat It Covers
Role Module (mplp-role.schema.json)Capabilities array, role_id bindings
Confirm Module (mplp-confirm.schema.json)Approval workflows, override mechanisms
Trace Module (mplp-trace.schema.json)Audit record structure
L4 Integration InvariantsSource identification requirements
L3 Architecture Deep DiveAEL sandboxing, VSL encryption considerations

5. Conceptual Relationships

Security interacts with the following protocol elements:

6. Reading Path

To understand security-related normative semantics, read:

  1. Role Module — Capability definitions
  2. Confirm Module — Approval workflows
  3. Trace Module — Audit records
  4. L3 Architecture Deep Dive — Sandboxing, encryption

Governance Rule: DGP-30 See Also: Security Anchor (Normative)