Company
Date Published
Author
Matthew Romero
Word count
3087
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

Many non-human identities are present in modern enterprise environments, powering essential digital processes and handling tasks such as automated data transfers and cloud service operations. However, managing these invisible workforces is becoming increasingly necessary for securing modern IT environments, with only 15% of companies feeling highly confident in their ability to prevent NHI attacks. Non-human identities can be categorized into different types, including API Keys, Service Accounts, Service Principals, Tokens, and Certificates, each serving a specific purpose in automated workflows, system processes, or application connections. These identities are created for machines, applications, or devices to facilitate smooth enterprise operations, but they also introduce unique security risks due to their lack of direct oversight, interactive authentication, and static credentials that can be exploited by attackers. As reliance on automation and integration grows, managing non-human identities is becoming a critical aspect of securing modern IT environments, requiring organizations to develop best practices for non-human identity management, including building a complete inventory, assigning ownership, right-sizing access, establishing lifecycles, integrating into identity security frameworks, and strengthening their non-human identity management.