Non-Human Identities (NHIs) and Machine Identities: Differences and How to Secure Them

Read full article here: https://www.p0.dev/blog/non-human-identities-vs-machine-identities/?utm_source=nhimg

In today’s digital ecosystems, identities extend far beyond human users. Every device, application, service account, and automated process needs an identity to authenticate and operate securely. These are known as Non-Human Identities (NHIs) and they now outnumber human identities by orders of magnitude.

Yet confusion remains around what exactly falls under NHI, and how they differ from machine identities, a subset of NHIs. Understanding these distinctions is essential for building strong identity-first security programs.

Defining Non-Human Identities (NHIs)

Non-Human Identities (NHIs) are digital identities not tied to human users. They represent the “digital workforce” that powers applications, infrastructure, and automation. NHIs can belong to:

• Devices - IoT sensors, routers, mobile devices
• Applications & Software - APIs, microservices, SaaS platforms
• Automated Processes - Bots, CI/CD pipelines, service accounts
• Legal Entities - Organization-level identifiers such as LEIs (Legal Entity Identifiers)
• Animals - RFID tags used in agriculture or logistics

NHIs form a broad, umbrella category. Within that category, machine identities represent a narrower and more specific group.

Machine Identities vs. NHIs: Key Differences

Key takeaway

All machine identities are NHIs, but not all NHIs are machine identities. NHIs include a broader spectrum that extends beyond workloads into governance, regulatory, and automation contexts.

Best Practices for Securing NHIs

With NHIs multiplying across hybrid and cloud environments, organizations must adopt identity-first security approaches. Here are the top practices:

1. Discover & Inventory All NHIs

• Automate discovery of service accounts, API tokens, certificates, and device identities.
• Maintain a living inventory to eliminate blind spots.

2. Centralize NHI Management

• Use a unified platform to govern both human and non-human identities.
• Implement full lifecycle management (creation, monitoring, decommissioning).

3. Enforce Least Privilege

• Apply RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) or ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control).
• Continuously rightsize permissions to prevent privilege creep.

4. Strengthen Authentication & Secrets Security

• Use certificates and OAuth tokens instead of static credentials.
• Automate secret rotation and secure storage to reduce exposure.

5. Monitor & Detect Threats

• Continuously monitor for anomalous behavior (e.g., unusual API calls).
• Deploy Identity Threat Detection & Response (ITDR) to catch lateral movement.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What’s the biggest risk with NHIs?
A: Stale or unmanaged NHIs, such as unused service accounts or exposed API keys—can be hijacked by attackers to move laterally.

Q: How do machine identities differ from NHIs?
A: Machine identities (workloads, devices, services) are one subset of NHIs. NHIs also include bots, SaaS service accounts, and even legal entity identifiers.

Q: How should organizations prioritize NHI security?
A: Start with discovery, enforce least privilege, and adopt continuous monitoring. These three steps reduce the majority of NHI-related risks.

Conclusion

Non-Human Identities (NHIs) are now a cornerstone of enterprise security. The challenge is not only securing machine identities but also extending governance to all forms of NHIs—service accounts, SaaS tokens, bots, and more.

By implementing discovery, centralized governance, least privilege, and continuous monitoring, organizations can reduce exposure, meet compliance obligations, and prepare for an identity-driven future where NHIs vastly outnumber human users.