The Golden Rules of Identity Security in 2025

Read full article from Silverfort here: https://www.silverfort.com/blog/the-10-commandments-of-identity-security/?utm_source=nhimg

In a threat landscape where attackers no longer “break in” but log in, identity has become the new perimeter — and the ultimate security control plane. Yet, too many organizations still treat identity as an IT function rather than a strategic security discipline.

While Identity and Access Management (IAM) remains essential, it’s only the foundation. True identity security demands unified visibility across human and non-human identities, continuous verification, and real-time enforcement — spanning hybrid environments, legacy systems, and the modern cloud fabric.

The 10 Commandments of Identity Security, introduced by Silverfort, define the modern blueprint for securing access in a Zero Trust world. They reflect a shift from static controls to continuous, intelligent defense.

1-Know Thy Identities

Start with total visibility. Every user, service account, API, and workload must be discovered and classified. You can’t secure what you can’t see.

2-Embrace Least Privilege

Access should always be role-specific, time-bound, and minimal. Overprivileged accounts are the root of most breaches.

3-Authenticate with Strength

Move beyond passwords. Implement phishing-resistant MFA and adaptive, contextual authentication.

4-Assume Compromise

Operate as if every identity could be compromised. Prioritize detection, containment, and rapid revocation.

5-Govern the Lifecycle

Automate onboarding, changes, and deprovisioning. Manual identity operations are error-prone and dangerous.

6-Secure Non-Human Identities

Treat Non-Human Identities (NHIs) such as service accounts, bots, and APIs with equal rigor. Machines now outnumber humans — and they often hold the keys to production.

7-Continuously Verify Access

Access validity decays over time. Continuously re-evaluate entitlements using risk-based triggers and time-bound policies.

8-Enforce Policy with Automation

Replace manual approvals with real-time, context-driven policy enforcement powered by analytics and automation.

9-Protect the Identity Infrastructure

Your IdPs, domain controllers, and federation services are Tier 0 assets — protect them with MFA, monitoring, and unified visibility.

10-Align with Standards and Frameworks

Leverage NIST, CIS, and ISO frameworks to measure maturity, prove compliance, and guide long-term strategy.

The New Rule of Cybersecurity: Identity Is Security

Identity security is no longer a subset of cybersecurity — it is cybersecurity.
To defend the modern enterprise, security leaders must unify IAM, privilege control, and threat detection into a single, adaptive identity defense layer.

Silverfort’s unified platform operationalizes these 10 Commandments — extending identity protection to every environment, from legacy servers to modern SaaS, without requiring agents or proxies.