Building A Secure Agentic AI Application Leveraging A2A Protocol
On the map: LLM agents and tool use → Agent threats, guardrails and governance
Abstract (arXiv)
As Agentic AI systems evolve from basic workflows to complex multi agent collaboration, robust protocols such as Google's Agent2Agent (A2A) become essential enablers. To foster secure adoption and ensure the reliability of these complex interactions, understanding the secure implementation of A2A is essential. This paper addresses this goal by providing a comprehensive security analysis centered on the A2A protocol. We examine its fundamental elements and operational dynamics, situating it within the framework of agent communication development. Utilizing the MAESTRO framework, specifically designed for AI risks, we apply proactive threat modeling to assess potential security issues in A2A deployments, focusing on aspects such as Agent Card management, task execution integrity, and authentication methodologies. Based on these insights, we recommend practical secure development methodologies and architectural best practices designed to build resilient and effective A2A systems. Our analysis also explores how the synergy between A2A and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) can further enhance secure interoperability. This paper equips developers and architects with the knowledge and practical guidance needed to confidently leverage the A2A protocol for building robust and secure next generation agentic applications.
Key facts. Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Agent threats, guardrails and governance, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use. Builds on 2 of its 43 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 23 Apr 2025.
Builds on
2 of 43 references.
References · 2
Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2025: 4; 2026: 5.
9 papers.
- 2025A Survey of Context Engineering for Large Language Modelscited by 126
- 2025A Survey of LLM-Driven AI Agent Communication: Protocols, Security Risks, and Defense Countermeasurescited by 57
- 2025A Novel Zero-Trust Identity Framework for Agentic AI: Decentralized Authentication and Fine-Grained Access Controlcited by 28
- 2025From Code Foundation Models to Agents and Applications: A Comprehensive Survey and Practical Guide to Code Intelligencecited by 15
- 2026Security Threat Modeling for Emerging AI-Agent Protocols: A Comparative Analysis of MCP, A2A, Agora, and ANPcited by 15
- 2026Attacks and Mitigations for Distributed Governance of Agentic AI under Byzantine Adversariescited by 2
- 2026Trustworthy Agent Network: Trust in Agent Networks Must Be Baked In, Not Bolted Oncited by 1
- 2026STEM Agent: A Self-Adapting, Tool-Enabled, Extensible Architecture for Multi-Protocol AI Agent Systemscited by 0
- 2026A Comparative Study of MCP and A2A for Inter-Agent Coordination in LLM-Based Systemscited by 0
- 2026A Comparative Study of MCP and A2A for Inter-Agent Coordination in LLM-Based Systems26 Jul 2026
- 2026Trustworthy Agent Network: Trust in Agent Networks Must Be Baked In, Not Bolted On18 May 2026
- 2026Attacks and Mitigations for Distributed Governance of Agentic AI under Byzantine Adversaries12 May 2026
- 2026STEM Agent: A Self-Adapting, Tool-Enabled, Extensible Architecture for Multi-Protocol AI Agent Systems22 Mar 2026
- 2026Security Threat Modeling for Emerging AI-Agent Protocols: A Comparative Analysis of MCP, A2A, Agora, and ANP11 Feb 2026
- 2025From Code Foundation Models to Agents and Applications: A Comprehensive Survey and Practical Guide to Code Intelligence23 Nov 2025
- 2025A Survey of Context Engineering for Large Language Models17 Jul 2025
- 2025A Survey of LLM-Driven AI Agent Communication: Protocols, Security Risks, and Defense Countermeasures24 Jun 2025
- 2025A Novel Zero-Trust Identity Framework for Agentic AI: Decentralized Authentication and Fine-Grained Access Control25 May 2025
Similar, not cited
Close in wording, no citation either way
- 2026A2ABreak: Systematic Security Analysis of the A2A Protocol ↗
- 2025Improving Google A2A Protocol: Protecting Sensitive Data and Mitigating Unintended Harms in Multi-Agent Systems
- 2025A2AS: Agentic AI Runtime Security and Self-Defense
- 2025From Glue-Code to Protocols: A Critical Analysis of A2A and MCP Integration for Scalable Agent Systems
- 2025Security Analysis of Agentic AI Communication Protocols: A Comparative Evaluation
- 2026AgentRFC: Security Design Principles and Conformance Testing for Agent Protocols
- 2025BlockA2A: Towards Secure and Verifiable Agent-to-Agent Interoperability
- 2025Formalizing the Safety, Security, and Functional Properties of Agentic AI Systems