Palisade: Bringing Zero-Trust to the AI Model Supply Chain (highflame.com)

Palisade, a new enterprise-grade ML model security scanner, has been launched to enhance the security of AI model supply chains by applying a zero-trust approach. As the AI ecosystem grows, the traditional reliance on security measures for software delivery is insufficient for managing the security risks associated with downloading and deploying large AI model files. Palisade addresses this gap by detecting malicious payloads, backdoors, and supply-chain tampering before models reach production. Its Rust-based architecture enables efficient handling of large model sizes while maintaining low memory usage and swift CI latency. The security framework consists of a multi-layered validation pipeline that assesses model artifacts at various levels, transforming them from "random blobs" into structured security assessments. This includes static validators to catch potential security vulnerabilities, such as hidden attachments and tampering, while behavioral validators detect covert manipulations that may not be apparent in the model's byte structure. Additionally, Palisade emphasizes the importance of provenance and cryptographic signing to ensure models can be trusted. By integrating into existing ML workflows, Palisade allows organizations to enforce stricter security policies and establish a verifiable chain of trust from model training through to deployment, thereby elevating the security standards expected from AI systems.