In the rapidly evolving landscape of cybersecurity, non-human identities (NHIs) have emerged as a critical focus area. These digital entities, representing machines, applications, and automated processes, play a pivotal role in modern IT infrastructures. This blog post delves into the significance of NHIs, the risks they pose, and the latest research findings from leading cybersecurity firms.
What Are Non-Human Identities?
Non-human identities are digital credentials used to represent machines, applications, and automated processes within an IT environment. Unlike human identities, which are tied to individual users, NHIs facilitate machine-to-machine interactions and perform repetitive tasks without human intervention. These identities are essential for the seamless operation of various systems, from IoT devices to automated software processes.
The Risks Associated with Non-Human Identities
Recent research by Entro Security Labs highlights the significant risks posed by NHIs. Their study found that 97% of NIHs have excessive privileges, increasing the risk of unauthorized access and broadening the attack surface. Additionally, 92% of organizations expose parties, which can lead to unauthorized access if third-party security practices are not aligned with organizational standards.
Managing Non-Human Identities
Effective management of NHIs is crucial for maintaining a secure IT environment. Silverfort‘s Unified Identity Protection platform extends modern identity security controls to NHIs, ensuring secure and efficient management. This platform enables enterprises to map non-human identities, audit their behavior, and prevent unauthorized use with a Zero Trust approach.
Oasis Security offers a comprehensive solution for managing the lifecycle of NHIs. Their platform provides holistic visibility and deep contextual insights into every non-human identity, helping organizations secure NHIs throughout their lifecycle [5]. Oasis Security’s approach removes operational barriers, empowering security and engineering teams to address this critical domain effectively.
Astrix Security also provides advanced capabilities for managing NHIs across various environments. Their platform continuously inventories all NHIs, detects over-privileged and risky ones, and responds to anomalous behavior in real-time [6]. This proactive approach helps prevent supply chain attacks, data leaks, and compliance violations [6].
Conclusion
As the use of non-human identities continues to grow, so do the associated risks. Organizations must adopt robust strategies for managing NHIs to protect their IT environments from potential threats. Leveraging advanced platforms like those offered by Silverfort, Oasis Security, and Astrix Security can significantly enhance the security and efficiency of non-human identity management.
By understanding and addressing the challenges posed by NHIs, organizations can better safeguard their digital assets and maintain a resilient cybersecurity posture.