Failure Pattern
Distributed databases replicate data across nodes with implicit peer trust. Attackers compromise one node and poison the entire cluster.
What We See in the Field
A compromised node performs malicious writes that replicate across all peers. The system trusts the node because it presents valid cluster credentials.
Underlying Causes
Peer trust assumptions
Certificate reuse
Overprivileged internal APIs
Metadata-based identity
Replication engines built without identity enforcement
Trust-Native Network Resolution
DTL binds each database node to a unique cryptographic identity. Replication requires trusted sessions tied to verified TrustKeys.
Broken Trust Assumption
This failure pattern has played out repeatedly in real security incidents—not because of missing tools, but because of how trust is assigned.
In breaches such as SolarWinds, Capital One, Okta, and MOVEit, attackers did not bypass security controls. They operated through them, using valid identities, trusted credentials, signed code, and encrypted sessions. Security systems accepted these signals as proof of legitimacy, allowing malicious behavior to proceed.
The common thread across these incidents is structural: identity was assumed based on trust signals, not proven at the moment of execution.