Securing Non-Human Identities: Challenges and Solutions for Modern Enterprises

Read full article here: https://entro.security/blog/use-case-secure-non-human-identities/?utm_source=nhimg.org

Non-human identities (NHIs) are programmatic credentials that applications, services, and automated processes use to authenticate and access resources, such as databases, storage accounts, or other applications. They are the backbone of modern digital operations.

Yet, while organizations have strengthened human user access, the security of NHIs—like service accounts, API keys, and cloud tokens—often remains overlooked. This gap creates a fertile ground for cyber attackers, who have learned to exploit these digital identities for unauthorized access and system compromise.

This article exposes the security risks associated with NHIs and provides actionable strategies to safeguard these critical assets.

What Are Non-Human Identities?

NHIs enable machine-to-machine authentication and access within software ecosystems. They allow applications, workloads, and automated processes to operate autonomously, without direct human intervention. Access is granted via secrets such as:

• Access keys
• Tokens
• Certificates

Example: An application may use a service account or API key to authenticate to a cloud service. The assigned permissions allow the application to perform required tasks. Unlike human users, NHIs often operate with more permissive roles to function continuously and autonomously—this makes them attractive targets for attackers.

Non-Human Identities vs Human Identities

NHIs are not linked to personal attributes, making accountability, monitoring, and audit trails more challenging.

The Rise of Non-Human Identities

The surge of cloud adoption, microservices, DevOps pipelines, and open-source repositories has fueled exponential growth in NHIs. As organizations rely on these identities, traditional security controls often fall short:

• Visibility is limited
• Monitoring is inconsistent
• Governance is weak

This blind spot makes NHIs a prime target for cyberattacks.

Types of Non-Human Identities and Associated Risks

1. API Keys

Risks:

• Unauthorized access to sensitive systems
• Data breaches and IP theft
• Malicious activity and system disruption

Best Practices:

• Monitor all API key usage continuously
• Implement automated key rotation
• Enforce least-privilege access policies

2. Service Accounts

Risks:

• Increased attack surface
• Lateral movement and privilege escalation
• Unauthorized access to critical resources

Best Practices:

• Regularly audit privileges
• Automate credential lifecycle management
• Apply least-privilege principles

3. Containers & Images

Risks:

• Over-permissioned containers
• Vulnerable or outdated images
• Hard-coded secrets in images or environment variables

Best Practices:

• Use minimal base images
• Scan images regularly for vulnerabilities
• Inject secrets at runtime securely via secret management tools

4. Cloud Services

Risks:

• Misconfigured environments
• Over-privileged identities
• Orphaned or unmanaged identities

Best Practices:

• Assign minimal permissions
• Continuously monitor and audit cloud NHIs

5. DevOps Tools

Risks:

• Exposure of credentials in CI/CD pipelines
• Unauthorized access to development and production environments
• Supply chain attack vulnerabilities

Best Practices:

• Scan pipelines and logs for secrets
• Use secure secret management solutions
• Enforce RBAC for DevOps tools

6. Software Supply Chain

Risks:

• Compromised third-party components
• Vulnerabilities from outdated software
• Limited visibility into vendor security

Best Practices:

• Enforce least privilege and monitor third-party NHIs
• Conduct thorough risk assessments of vendors

7. RPA Bots

Risks:

• Unauthorized access to sensitive systems
• Execution of fraudulent or malicious actions
• Disruption of business processes

Best Practices:

• Monitor and log RPA bot NHIs
• Apply strict governance and access controls
• Use behavioral analytics to detect anomalies

The Challenges of Managing NHIs

Consider a cloud-native application composed of microservices, containers, and APIs. Each microservice authenticates via NHIs. A compromised NHI can lead to:

• Privilege escalation
• Lateral movement across systems
• Undetected intrusion through third-party integrations

Traceability is difficult, and incident response becomes complex without proper monitoring and accountability.

Non-Human Identity Management: Key Strategies

1. Visibility and Tracking

• Maintain a comprehensive inventory of all NHIs
• Use secrets lifecycle management platforms for full credential oversight

2. Real-Time Monitoring and Protection

• Continuously scan for suspicious activities
• Detect unauthorized access or anomalous behavior instantly

3. Least Privilege & Centralized Governance

• Grant only necessary access for specific durations
• Centralize policy enforcement and secrets management

4. Identity Lifecycle Management

• Automate provisioning, rotation, and de-provisioning of NHIs
• Revoke compromised identities proactively

5. Adaptive IAM

• Tailor non-human access based on entity behavior
• Minimize risks of unauthorized access while enabling automated operations

6. Vulnerability Detection & False Positive Reduction

• Focus on real threats, eliminating unnecessary alerts
• Prioritize vulnerabilities for effective remediation

Why Entro

Entro’s non-human identity management solution empowers organizations to:

• Gain complete visibility of all secrets and NHIs
• Identify, prioritize, and remediate security risks
• Automate remediation, saving time and resources
• Ensure regulatory compliance (SOC2, GDPR, etc.)
• Protect NHIs across code, APIs, containers, and serverless functions

With Entro, organizations can secure machine identities and secrets while maintaining operational agility and minimizing security blind spots.

Conclusion

Non-human identities are critical enablers of modern digital operations—but they are also high-value targets. Organizations must adopt a comprehensive NHI management strategy encompassing visibility, monitoring, lifecycle management, and governance. By implementing these practices and leveraging platforms like Entro, enterprises can secure their digital infrastructure, reduce attack surfaces, and ensure resilient, compliant operations.