diff --git a/internal/rules/mechanisms/authenticators/constants.go b/internal/rules/mechanisms/authenticators/constants.go
index 31631e8bf..97f7dd604 100644
--- a/internal/rules/mechanisms/authenticators/constants.go
+++ b/internal/rules/mechanisms/authenticators/constants.go
@@ -17,10 +17,11 @@
 package authenticators
 
 const (
-	AuthenticatorUnauthorized        = "unauthorized"
-	AuthenticatorBasicAuth           = "basic_auth"
-	AuthenticatorAnonymous           = "anonymous"
-	AuthenticatorOAuth2Introspection = "oauth2_introspection"
-	AuthenticatorJWT                 = "jwt"
-	AuthenticatorGeneric             = "generic"
+	AuthenticatorUnauthorized          = "unauthorized"
+	AuthenticatorBasicAuth             = "basic_auth"
+	AuthenticatorAnonymous             = "anonymous"
+	AuthenticatorOAuth2Introspection   = "oauth2_introspection"
+	AuthenticatorJWT                   = "jwt"
+	AuthenticatorGeneric               = "generic"
+	AuthenticatorHTTPMessageSignatures = "http_message_signatures"
 )
diff --git a/internal/rules/mechanisms/authenticators/http_message_signature_authenticator.go b/internal/rules/mechanisms/authenticators/http_message_signature_authenticator.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e5b1821f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/rules/mechanisms/authenticators/http_message_signature_authenticator.go
@@ -0,0 +1,252 @@
+package authenticators
+
+import (
+	"encoding/base64"
+	"errors"
+	"io"
+	"mime"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/url"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/dadrus/heimdall/internal/app"
+	"github.com/dadrus/heimdall/internal/heimdall"
+	"github.com/dadrus/heimdall/internal/rules/endpoint"
+	"github.com/dadrus/heimdall/internal/rules/mechanisms/subject"
+	"github.com/dadrus/heimdall/internal/truststore"
+	"github.com/dadrus/heimdall/internal/x"
+	"github.com/dadrus/heimdall/internal/x/errorchain"
+	"github.com/go-jose/go-jose/v4"
+	"github.com/goccy/go-json"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	registerTypeFactory(
+		func(app app.Context, name string, typ string, conf map[string]any) (bool, Authenticator, error) {
+			if typ != AuthenticatorHTTPMessageSignatures {
+				return false, nil, nil
+			}
+
+			auth, err := newHTTPMessageSignaturesAuthenticator(app, name, conf)
+
+			return true, auth, err
+		})
+}
+
+type JWKResolver interface {
+	GetJSONWebKey(ctx heimdall.RequestContext) (jose.JSONWebKey, error)
+}
+
+type JWKSEndpointResolver struct {
+	ep *endpoint.Endpoint
+}
+
+func (r *JWKSEndpointResolver) GetJSONWebKey(ctx heimdall.RequestContext) (jose.JSONWebKey, error) {
+	data, err := r.ep.SendRequest(ctx.Context(), nil, nil, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return jose.JSONWebKey{}, err
+	}
+
+	var key jose.JSONWebKey
+
+	if err = json.Unmarshal(data, &key); err != nil {
+		return jose.JSONWebKey{}, err
+	}
+
+	return key, nil
+}
+
+type SignatureAgentBasedResolver struct{}
+
+func (r *SignatureAgentBasedResolver) GetJSONWebKey(ctx heimdall.RequestContext) (jose.JSONWebKey, error) {
+	value := ctx.Request().Header("Signature-Agent")
+	if len(value) == 0 {
+		return jose.JSONWebKey{}, errors.New("no signature agent header")
+	}
+
+	uri, err := url.Parse(value)
+	if err != nil {
+		return jose.JSONWebKey{}, err
+	}
+
+	if uri.Scheme == "http" || uri.Scheme == "https" {
+		return r.fetchKey(ctx, uri)
+	} else if uri.Scheme == "data" {
+		return r.extractKey(uri)
+	}
+
+	return jose.JSONWebKey{}, errors.New("no signature agent header")
+}
+
+func (r *SignatureAgentBasedResolver) extractKey(uri *url.URL) (jose.JSONWebKey, error) {
+	// data:application/http-message-signatures-directory+json[;base64],<data>
+	values := strings.Split(uri.Opaque, ",")
+	if len(values) != 2 {
+		return jose.JSONWebKey{}, errors.New("mime: malformed data")
+	}
+
+	mediatype, params, err := mime.ParseMediaType(values[0])
+	if err != nil {
+		return jose.JSONWebKey{}, err
+	}
+
+	if mediatype != "application/http-message-signatures-directory+json" {
+		return jose.JSONWebKey{}, errors.New("mediatype not supported")
+	}
+
+	var (
+		reader io.Reader
+		key    jose.JSONWebKey
+	)
+
+	if _, ok := params["base64"]; ok {
+		reader = base64.NewDecoder(base64.StdEncoding, strings.NewReader(values[1]))
+	} else {
+		reader = strings.NewReader(values[1])
+	}
+
+	if err = json.NewDecoder(reader).Decode(&key); err != nil {
+		return jose.JSONWebKey{}, err
+	}
+
+	return key, nil
+}
+
+func (r *SignatureAgentBasedResolver) fetchKey(ctx heimdall.RequestContext, uri *url.URL) (jose.JSONWebKey, error) {
+	epr := JWKSEndpointResolver{
+		ep: &endpoint.Endpoint{
+			URL:    uri.String(),
+			Method: http.MethodGet,
+			Headers: map[string]string{
+				"Accept": "application/json",
+			},
+			HTTPCache: &endpoint.HTTPCache{
+				Enabled:    true,
+				DefaultTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	return epr.GetJSONWebKey(ctx)
+}
+
+type httpMessageSignaturesAuthenticator struct {
+	name               string
+	id                 string
+	app                app.Context
+	components         []string
+	jwkr               JWKResolver
+	tofuAllowed        bool
+	sigCreatedDateSkew time.Duration
+	maxAge             time.Duration
+	ttl                *time.Duration
+	validateJWKCert    bool
+	trustStore         truststore.TrustStore
+}
+
+func newHTTPMessageSignaturesAuthenticator(app app.Context, name string, rawConfig map[string]any) (Authenticator, error) {
+	logger := app.Logger()
+	logger.Info().
+		Str("_type", AuthenticatorHTTPMessageSignatures).
+		Str("_name", name).
+		Msg("Creating authenticator")
+
+	type TaggedSignature struct {
+		Tag        string   `mapstructure:"tag"        validate:"required"`
+		Components []string `mapstructure:"components" validate:"gt=0,dive,required"`
+	}
+
+	type Config struct {
+		RequiredComponents []string              `mapstructure:"required_components"            validate:"gt=0,dive,required"`         //nolint:lll
+		TOFUKeyAllowed     *bool                 `mapstructure:"trust_key_on_first_use_allowed" validate:"excluded_with=JWKSEndpoint"` //nolint:lll
+		JWKSEndpoint       *endpoint.Endpoint    `mapstructure:"jwks_endpoint"                  validate:"excluded_with=TOFUAllowed"`  //nolint:lll
+		MaxAge             *time.Duration        `mapstructure:"max_age"`
+		Skew               time.Duration         `mapstructure:"skew"`
+		CacheTTL           *time.Duration        `mapstructure:"cache_ttl"`
+		ValidateJWK        *bool                 `mapstructure:"validate_jwk"`
+		TrustStore         truststore.TrustStore `mapstructure:"trust_store"`
+	}
+
+	var conf Config
+	if err := decodeConfig(app, rawConfig, &conf); err != nil {
+		return nil, errorchain.NewWithMessagef(heimdall.ErrConfiguration,
+			"failed decoding config for %s authenticator '%s'", AuthenticatorHTTPMessageSignatures, name).
+			CausedBy(err)
+	}
+
+	var jwkr JWKResolver
+
+	if conf.JWKSEndpoint != nil {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(conf.JWKSEndpoint.URL, "http://") {
+			logger.Warn().
+				Str("_type", AuthenticatorJWT).
+				Str("_name", name).
+				Msg("No TLS configured for the jwks endpoint used in authenticator")
+		}
+
+		jwkr = &SignatureAgentBasedResolver{}
+	} else {
+		ep := conf.JWKSEndpoint
+
+		if ep.Headers == nil {
+			ep.Headers = make(map[string]string)
+		}
+
+		if _, ok := ep.Headers["Accept"]; !ok {
+			ep.Headers["Accept"] = "application/json"
+		}
+
+		if len(ep.Method) == 0 {
+			ep.Method = http.MethodGet
+		}
+
+		jwkr = &JWKSEndpointResolver{ep: ep}
+	}
+
+	return &httpMessageSignaturesAuthenticator{
+		name:       name,
+		id:         name,
+		app:        app,
+		components: conf.Components,
+		jwkr:       jwkr,
+		tofuAllowed: x.IfThenElseExec(
+			conf.TOFUKeyAllowed != nil,
+			func() bool { return *conf.TOFUKeyAllowed },
+			func() bool { return false }),
+		sigCreatedDateSkew: conf.Skew,
+		maxAge: x.IfThenElseExec(
+			conf.MaxAge != nil,
+			func() time.Duration { return *conf.MaxAge },
+			func() time.Duration { return 5 * time.Minute },
+		),
+		ttl: conf.CacheTTL,
+		validateJWKCert: x.IfThenElseExec(
+			conf.ValidateJWK != nil,
+			func() bool { return *conf.ValidateJWK },
+			func() bool { return true },
+		),
+		trustStore: conf.TrustStore,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+func (a *httpMessageSignaturesAuthenticator) ID() string { return a.id }
+
+func (a *httpMessageSignaturesAuthenticator) IsInsecure() bool { return false }
+
+func (a *httpMessageSignaturesAuthenticator) Execute(ctx heimdall.RequestContext) (*subject.Subject, error) {
+	//TODO implement me
+	panic("implement me")
+}
+
+func (a *httpMessageSignaturesAuthenticator) WithConfig(stepID string, config map[string]any) (Authenticator, error) {
+	//TODO implement me
+	panic("implement me")
+}
+
+func (a *httpMessageSignaturesAuthenticator) isCacheEnabled() bool {
+	// cache is enabled if ttl is not configured (in that case the ttl value from either
+	// the jwk cert (if available) or the defaultTTL is used), or if ttl is configured and
+	// the value > 0
+	return a.ttl == nil || (a.ttl != nil && *a.ttl > 0)
+}