AESP (ALTAR Enterprise Security Protocol) Profile v1.0

Version: 1.0 Status: Final Date: August 5, 2025 Defines: GRID Protocol Level 3 Enterprise Compliance

1. Introduction

1.1. Overview

This document defines the AESP (ALTAR Enterprise Security Protocol) Profile v1.0. AESP is not a standalone protocol; it is a formal profile of the GRID Protocol that specifies the mandatory architectural components, message extensions, and security controls required to achieve Level 3 Enterprise Compliance.

The primary purpose of AESP is to elevate the core GRID protocol to meet the stringent demands of enterprise environments. Where GRID provides a robust foundation for distributed tool orchestration, AESP layers on the critical features of security, governance, and compliance. An AESP-compliant system is, by definition, a GRID-compliant system that has been hardened and extended for high-stakes, regulated deployments.

1.2. Relationship to GRID

AESP extends the GRID protocol through three primary mechanisms, ensuring that an AESP-compliant Host remains interoperable with the core principles of GRID while enforcing stricter enterprise-grade controls.

• Component Mandates: AESP mandates the implementation of a specific Control Plane architecture. A standard GRID Host is extended with required services for identity, policy, audit, and more, which become integral to its operation.
• Message Replacement: AESP selectively replaces certain base GRID protocol messages with enterprise-specific counterparts. These extended messages (e.g., EnterpriseSecurityContext) are supersets of the base messages, carrying additional data required for fine-grained policy enforcement, auditability, and governance.
• Stricter Security: AESP elevates GRID's security posture from a recommendation to a requirement. It mandates specific security controls, such as mTLS 1.3+ for all transport, integration with enterprise identity providers (IdPs), and the maintenance of an immutable audit log.

2. AESP Architecture: The Control Plane Model

To achieve AESP compliance, a GRID Host must be implemented as part of a comprehensive AESP Control Plane. This architecture provides the centralized management, security, and governance functions required for enterprise operations.

graph TB
    subgraph ESP["Enterprise Security Perimeter"]
        subgraph ACP["AESP Control Plane"]
            direction TB
            GATEWAY[API Gateway]
            HOST[AESP Host Cluster]
            SM[Session Manager]
            RBAC[RBAC Engine]
            PE[Policy Engine]
            AM[Audit Manager]
            TM[Tenant Manager]
            CM[Cost Manager]
            GM[Governance Manager]
            IM[Identity Manager]
            CONFIG[Configuration Manager]

            style GATEWAY fill:#1f2937,stroke:#111827,color:#ffffff,fontWeight:bold
            style HOST fill:#4338ca,stroke:#3730a3,color:#ffffff,fontWeight:bold
            style SM fill:#e2e8f0,stroke:#cbd5e1,color:#475569
            style RBAC fill:#dc2626,stroke:#b91c1c,color:#ffffff
            style PE fill:#dc2626,stroke:#b91c1c,color:#ffffff
            style AM fill:#059669,stroke:#047857,color:#ffffff
            style TM fill:#7c3aed,stroke:#6d28d9,color:#ffffff
            style CM fill:#f59e0b,stroke:#d97706,color:#ffffff
            style GM fill:#8b5cf6,stroke:#7c3aed,color:#ffffff
            style IM fill:#06b6d4,stroke:#0891b2,color:#ffffff
            style CONFIG fill:#10b981,stroke:#059669,color:#ffffff
        end
        
        subgraph EIL["Enterprise Identity Layer"]
            direction LR
            LDAP[LDAP/AD]
            SAML[SAML IdP]
            OAUTH[OAuth 2.0]
            PKI[Enterprise PKI]
        end
        
        subgraph SRE["Secure Runtime Environment"]
            direction TB
            RT1[Python Runtime<br/>Tenant A]
            RT2[Java Runtime<br/>Tenant B]
        end
    end
    
    %% Connections
    GATEWAY --> HOST
    HOST --> SM & RBAC & PE & AM & TM & CM & GM & IM & CONFIG
    RBAC --> LDAP & SAML & OAUTH
    HOST -.->|mTLS| RT1
    HOST -.->|mTLS| RT2
    style ESP fill: #fff, color: #000
    style ACP fill: #efe, color: #000
    style EIL fill: #fef, color: #000
    style SRE fill: #eff, color: #000

2.1. Mandated Components

An AESP-compliant Host MUST integrate with the following mandated components:

• API Gateway: The unified, secure entry point for all external client interactions, responsible for TLS termination, authentication, rate limiting, and routing.
• Identity Manager: Provides the administrative control plane for managing all system principals (users, service accounts), including their lifecycle and synchronization with external enterprise IdPs.
• RBAC Engine: Manages hierarchical roles and permissions, integrating with the Identity Manager to make fine-grained authorization decisions for every action.
• Policy Engine: Evaluates declarative policies (e.g., using Common Expression Language - CEL) to enforce complex, real-time security, operational, and business rules.
• Audit Manager: Creates a cryptographically-signed, immutable audit trail of every significant system event, from administrative actions to tool invocations.
• Governance Manager: Orchestrates programmatic approval workflows for critical system artifacts like policies, tool contracts, and budgets, ensuring changes are controlled and auditable.
• Cost Manager: Provides financial governance by metering resource consumption, attributing costs to tenants and principals, and enforcing budgets.
• Tenant Manager: Enforces strict multi-tenant isolation for data, resources, and configuration.
• Configuration Manager: Enables dynamic, zero-downtime updates to the control plane's operational configuration, with changes managed through versioning and governance workflows.

2.2. Mapping to Cloud-Native Services

The AESP Control Plane is a logical architecture, not a prescription for a specific implementation. It is designed to be realized using standard, best-in-class cloud-native services. This approach allows enterprises to leverage their existing infrastructure and expertise.

The following table illustrates how AESP components map to concrete services from major cloud providers:

This mapping demonstrates that AESP is not a proprietary, black-box system but rather a standardized architecture that organizes and integrates the powerful enterprise services that modern cloud platforms already provide.

3. AESP Message Replacements and Extensions

AESP achieves its enhanced capabilities by replacing key GRID protocol messages with extended enterprise versions. These messages are designed to be supersets of their base counterparts.

3.1. EnterpriseSecurityContext

The EnterpriseSecurityContext replaces the base GRID SecurityContext. It expands the simple principal and tenant IDs with a rich set of claims and metadata required for enterprise-grade RBAC and policy decisions.

message EnterpriseSecurityContext {
  // Base GRID Fields
  string principal_id = 1;
  string tenant_id = 2;

  // AESP Extensions
  map<string, string> claims = 3;         // Claims from the identity token (e.g., JWT).
  string organization_id = 4;           // Top-level enterprise identifier.
  string business_unit = 5;             // Department or cost center.
  repeated string roles = 6;              // Roles assigned to the principal.
  repeated string permissions = 7;        // Specific permissions granted.
  string security_clearance = 8;        // Security clearance level (e.g., "confidential").
  string data_classification = 9;       // Highest data classification level accessible.
  uint64 session_expires_at = 10;         // Session expiration timestamp.
  map<string, string> policy_context = 11; // Additional context for the Policy Engine.
}

3.2. EnterpriseToolContract

The EnterpriseToolContract replaces the use of a standard ADM FunctionDeclaration as the Host's manifest entry. It enriches the core function definition with metadata crucial for governance, security, and risk management.

message EnterpriseToolContract {
  // Base ADM Fields
  string name = 1;
  string description = 3;
  repeated ParameterSchema parameters = 4; // Conforms to ADM Schema

  // AESP Extensions
  string contract_version = 2;
  string security_classification = 7;       // Data sensitivity level (e.g., "PII", "PUBLIC").
  repeated string required_roles = 8;       // Roles needed to execute this tool.
  repeated string required_permissions = 9; // Fine-grained permissions needed.
  string approval_status = 10;              // e.g., "DRAFT", "PENDING_APPROVAL", "ACTIVE".
  string approved_by = 11;                  // Principal ID of the approver.
  uint64 approved_at = 12;                  // Timestamp of approval.
  repeated string compliance_tags = 13;     // e.g., "GDPR", "HIPAA".
  string risk_assessment = 14;              // e.g., "LOW", "MEDIUM", "HIGH".
  map<string, string> governance_metadata = 15; // Other governance-related key-value pairs.
}

3.3. EnterpriseRuntimeAnnouncement

The EnterpriseRuntimeAnnouncement replaces the base GRID AnnounceRuntime. It provides the Host with critical security and identity information about the Runtime instance, enabling the Host to enforce connection policies.

message EnterpriseRuntimeAnnouncement {
  // Base GRID Fields
  string runtime_id = 1;      // A unique identifier for this runtime instance.
  string language = 2;        // The implementation language (e.g., "python").
  string version = 3;         // The version of the runtime's GRID client library.
  repeated string capabilities = 4; // List of supported GRID features.

  // AESP Extensions
  // Information extracted from the Runtime's mTLS certificate.
  CertificateIdentity certificate_identity = 5;
  // Attestation data proving the runtime's integrity (e.g., from a TPM).
  bytes runtime_attestation = 6;
  // The contracts the runtime is pre-configured to fulfill.
  repeated string declared_contracts = 7;
}

3.4. EnterpriseError

The EnterpriseError replaces the base GRID Error. It provides a much richer, structured format for error reporting, including details for security, compliance, and automated remediation.

message EnterpriseError {
  // Base GRID Fields
  string code = 1;        // Standard error code (e.g., PERMISSION_DENIED).
  string message = 2;     // Human-readable error description.

  // AESP Extensions
  map<string, string> details = 3;          // Additional machine-readable details.
  string tenant_id = 4;                   // Tenant context for the error.
  string principal_id = 5;                // Principal context for the error.
  string correlation_id = 6;              // ID for tracing the request end-to-end.
  uint64 retry_after_ms = 7;              // Suggested delay before retrying.
  repeated string security_implications = 8; // Potential security impacts.
  repeated string compliance_impact = 9;   // Potential compliance violations.
  repeated string remediation_steps = 10;  // Suggested actions to resolve the error.
  bool escalation_required = 11;          // Whether this error requires human intervention.
}

4. Mandatory Enterprise Services (IDL Summary)

An AESP-compliant Host MUST expose a set of secure, auditable APIs for managing the control plane. These services provide the programmatic interface for all administrative and governance functions. The following is a summary of the required service scopes:

• EnterpriseIdentityService: Manages the lifecycle of principals (users, service accounts), their roles, and their synchronization with external identity providers.
• EnterprisePolicyService: Manages the lifecycle of security and business policies, including their creation, validation, deployment, and versioning.
• EnterpriseAuditService: Provides query access to the immutable audit log, allowing administrators to investigate events and generate compliance reports.
• EnterpriseGovernanceService: Manages the programmatic approval workflows for critical artifacts such as policies, tool contracts, and budgets.
• EnterpriseCostManagementService: Manages budgets, provides cost attribution, and exposes metering data for financial oversight.
• EnterpriseConfigurationService: Manages the dynamic operational configuration of the AESP control plane itself.

5. Security Requirements

AESP mandates a set of non-negotiable security controls to ensure a hardened, enterprise-ready posture.

• Transport Security: All network communication between the AESP Host and its Runtimes must be secured using mutual TLS (mTLS) v1.3 or higher.
• Identity Integration: The AESP Control Plane must integrate with an enterprise identity provider (e.g., LDAP, SAML, OIDC) to act as the source of truth for user identities.
• Immutable Auditing: All significant events must be recorded in a cryptographically-signed, immutable audit log. This includes all administrative actions, policy changes, tool invocations, and session lifecycle events.
• Centralized Contract Authority: The AESP Host must act as the single source of truth for all EnterpriseToolContract definitions. Runtimes can only fulfill contracts; they cannot define them.
• Least Privilege by Default: All principals must be subject to RBAC and policy checks, and should be granted the minimum set of permissions necessary for their function.

6. AESP and the Promotion Path

AESP provides the final, most secure stage in the ALTAR tool lifecycle. The promotion path to a fully governed enterprise tool is as follows:

1. A tool is first defined using the standard ALTAR Data Model (ADM).
2. It is tested and run locally using the LATER protocol.
3. It is deployed to a standard GRID environment for distributed execution.
4. Finally, for enterprise use, its definition is promoted to an EnterpriseToolContract. This enrichment process involves adding security classifications, risk assessments, and compliance tags. The contract is then submitted to the EnterpriseGovernanceService for formal review and approval.

Once approved and active in the AESP Host's manifest, the tool is fully subject to the control plane's policies. Every call is authenticated, authorized by the RBAC and Policy Engines, and meticulously recorded by the Audit Manager, completing its journey to a fully governed enterprise asset.