Unvalidated Trust: Cross-Stage Vulnerabilities in Large Language Model Architectures

Dominik Schwarz

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arXiv · 2510.27190

Unvalidated Trust: Cross-Stage Vulnerabilities in Large Language Model Architectures

Dominik Schwarz

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Abstract

As Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly integrated into automated, multi-stage pipelines, risk patterns that arise from unvalidated trust between processing stages become a practical concern. This paper presents a mechanism-centered taxonomy of 41 recurring risk patterns in commercial LLMs. The analysis shows that inputs are often interpreted non-neutrally and can trigger implementation-shaped responses or unintended state changes even without explicit commands. We argue that these behaviors constitute architectural failure modes and that string-level filtering alone is insufficient. To mitigate such cross-stage vulnerabilities, we recommend zero-trust architectural principles, including provenance enforcement, context sealing, and plan revalidation, and we introduce "Countermind" as a conceptual blueprint for implementing these defenses.

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Dominik Schwarz. 2025-10-30. Unvalidated Trust: Cross-Stage Vulnerabilities in Large Language Model Architectures. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.27190

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