The digital enterprise is very complex. As cloud-native architectures and API-driven ecosystems become the norm, the number of non-human identities (NHI) within an organization has skyrocketed. Each identity, if not governed properly, can be a potential attack surface, leading to unauthorized access, data breaches, or downtime that impacts business operations and compliance.
Managing their lifecycle from issuance and discovery to rotation and decommissioning poses a significant challenge. Organizations also struggle with the lack of visibility into the volume and usage of these identities. Therefore, securing and governing them is not just a technical necessity but a fundamental security imperative.
Understanding the NHI challenge
Non-human identities span a broad spectrum, from traditional service accounts to ephemeral workloads in cloud environments. While the term "machine identity" has been commonly used, "workload identity" may be more precise, as it reflects the dynamic and software-driven nature of modern infrastructure.
NHIs can include:
- Agentic AI systems.
- API keys enabling third-party integrations.
- Typical IT machine identities such as computers and mobile phones.
- Service accounts used by applications to interact with databases or external services.
- Machine identities managing communications within IoT and industrial control systems.
- Short-lived credentials in DevOps pipelines that facilitate automated workflows.
Unlike human users, NHIs are often created and managed in an ad hoc manner. Developers frequently prioritize functionality over security, leading to excessive privileges, weak governance, and sprawling access rights. To make matters worse, these identities often lack clear ownership, making it difficult to enforce security controls.
Strengthening Security with ITDR
ITDR is an evolving category of security solutions focused on detecting identity-based threats and responding to them effectively. It builds on concepts from User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) but extends beyond traditional IAM by incorporating continuous monitoring, anomaly detection, and automated response mechanisms.
For NHIs, ITDR can:
- Identify anomalous behaviors by detecting unusual access patterns, such as a workload identity making unauthorized API calls.
- Detect credential leakage by correlating data from threat intelligence sources and scanning for exposed secrets in public repositories.
- Enforce just-in-time access by dynamically granting and revoking permissions based on real-time risk assessments.
- Automate remediation by isolating compromised NHIs and rotating credentials without disrupting business operations.
As enterprises continue to adopt cloud-first and automation-driven strategies, securing NHIs will be a priority. While ITDR is often discussed in the context of human users, its application to NHIs is increasingly crucial. If you want to learn more about the intersection between these two domains, check out our latest podcast.
This topic will also be explored in Road to EIC: Beyond Humans — Securing the Digital Frontier with Non-Human Identity Management which will take place later this week. And make sure to join us at EIC 2025 in Berlin, where industry experts, analysts, and practitioners will gather to discuss the future of identity security.
