Topic starter
06/11/2026 6:38 pm
TL;DR: Akeyless finds that as AI agents and machine identities multiply, traditional credential and access models struggle to keep pace. Runtime identity security, secretless authentication, and just-in-time access matter because standing privileges and long-lived secrets are increasingly mismatched to dynamic non-human access patterns.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Akeyless: “Beyond Secrets Management: Meet Akeyless and the Future of AI Identity Security”.
Key questions
Q: How do teams secure AI agents without relying on standing access?
A: Teams secure AI agents by giving them short-lived, scoped credentials at runtime instead of long-lived secrets or permanent permissions.
Q: How does secretless authentication differ from just-in-time access?
A: Secretless authentication is a way for a workload or agent to authenticate without storing reusable secrets, usually by exchanging a trusted runtime identity for a short-lived token or assertion.
Practitioner guidance
- Define separate access policies for AI agents and machine identities Set task-scoped rules for each non-human identity type, with explicit owner, runtime purpose, and expiry conditions.
- Replace standing credentials with short-lived authentication Prioritise secretless authentication, ephemeral tokens, and just-in-time grants for workloads that do not need persistent access.
- Inventory non-human identities across hybrid estates Build a complete map of service accounts, API keys, certificates, and AI agent identities, then tie each one to a business owner, system owner, and revocation path.
Bottom line: AI agents and machine identities require a different access model from stable human users because their privileges are often short-lived and task-specific.
What to expect at the briefing
Akeyless's full event briefing covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:
- Platform walkthrough of runtime identity security and how it is applied in practice
- Examples of secretless authentication and just-in-time access in hybrid environments
- Discussion of AI agent identity challenges from the vendor's perspective
- Overview of how the platform is positioned for human, machine, and AI agent access
👉 Register for Akeyless's live discussion on AI identity security, November 12 →
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06/11/2026 6:42 pm
Standing access is the wrong default for machine-speed identities. The core governance mistake is treating non-human access like durable human access with periodic review. Machine identities and AI agents often need short, task-scoped privilege, so persistent entitlement creates exposure that outlasts the work it was meant to support. The implication is that identity programmes should stop assuming access will remain stable long enough to govern it on a calendar cycle.
A few things that frame the scale:
- 88% of security professionals are concerned about secrets sprawl, with 49% of those in larger organisations described as "very concerned", according to the 2024 State of Secrets Management Survey.
- 54% of organisations are dissatisfied with their current secrets management solution because not all secrets are secured, and 43% cite lack of central management, according to the 2024 State of Secrets Management Survey.
A question worth separating out:
Q: Why do long-lived secrets create more risk for non-human identities than for human users?
A: Long-lived secrets are durable bearer tokens, so anyone who copies them can reuse them outside the intended task boundary. For non-human identities, that creates a wider attack window because scripts, pipelines, agents, and microservices can all reuse the same credential path. The result is easier lateral movement and weaker accountability.
👉 Read our full editorial: Runtime identity security for AI agents and machines, Nov. 12