ISO 27001 & NHI Security: The Missing Link in Protecting Enterprise Information

Read full article here: https://entro.security/blog/securing-nhis-and-iso-27001-compliance/?utm_source=nhimg

In today’s digital-first world, protecting sensitive data is no longer limited to human users with passwords. Modern enterprises increasingly depend on automation, APIs, and cloud services, all of which rely on non-human identities (NHIs) such as service accounts, API keys, IoT devices, and automation bots. These machine identities hold privileged access and, when left unmanaged, expose organizations to serious security and compliance risks.

For companies pursuing ISO 27001 certification, securing NHIs is not optional—it’s a core requirement of a robust Information Security Management System (ISMS). ISO 27001 controls such as Access Control (A.9), Cryptographic Controls (A.10), Operational Security (A.12), Supplier Relationships (A.15), and Incident Management (A.16) explicitly extend to non-human identities. That means organizations must enforce least privilege access, strong credential encryption, secure secrets vaulting, continuous monitoring, and clear ownership of service accounts to remain compliant.

Unsecured NHIs—like forgotten service accounts, long-lived API tokens, or over-privileged automation bots—can easily be exploited by attackers for lateral movement, data theft, or system disruption. Beyond compliance, this creates a direct threat to business resilience and trust.

By adopting best practices for machine identity security—including credential rotation, activity monitoring, RBAC for service accounts, and supplier access governance—organizations can close compliance gaps while reducing attack surfaces.

Bottom line

In an era where machines now outnumber humans in enterprise systems, ISO 27001 compliance requires securing NHIs as rigorously as human identities. Organizations that get this right not only achieve certification but also strengthen their overall cybersecurity posture against today’s most overlooked risks.