Protocol-Layer Security for MCP, A2A, and Agent Gateways

This article discusses the critical need for protocol-layer security in AI agent systems, specifically focusing on MCP (Model Context Protocol) and A2A (Agent-to-Agent) protocols. It highlights how teams are giving agents access to tools faster than defining security boundaries, leading to control-plane issues like identity management, authorization, and data leakage. The article explains that while MCP and A2A standardize agent connections, they are not enterprise security solutions. It examines Google's Agent Gateway and AWS Bedrock AgentCore Gateway as policy enforcement points for agentic traffic, emphasizing that security must live at the protocol boundary rather than inside the agent framework. It covers key security questions including identity verification, tool selection, and authorization in dynamic agent environments.