Since the emergence of Identity Governance and Administration over 20 years ago, identity management has only grown more complex. Adding to this complexity is the rapid explosion of machine identities. Statistics vary, but recent research suggests that non-human identities in the digital ecosystem outnumber human identities by as much as 20 to 1.
These non-human identities, including service accounts, bots and APIs are critical to the enterprise. They facilitate system access, automate tedious manual processes, and are foundational to how cloud infrastructure functions. However, if left unchecked, non-human identities can pose serious risks to organizations.
Because the effective management of non-human identities can be so tricky for organizations, we at Zilla wanted to share some of the most effective strategies for managing non-human identities that we’ve seen based on our extensive experience.
1. Identify the Human Behind the NHI
Non-human identities (NHIs) don’t appear out of nowhere; each is created with a specific purpose. Identifying who is accountable for each identity is essential. This can be challenging because the individual who creates the identity may not be the right person to manage its accountability.
For example, consider non-human identities created for integration purposes. Tools like Zapier are commonly used to automate workflows between systems, and app owners may inadvertently create machine identities in the process.
Zilla’s customers find significant value in automatically detecting machine identities and mapping them to their responsible human owners. As an organizational best practice, companies should establish processes to document and delegate ownership of these identities on an ongoing basis. This ensures accountability and makes non-human activity easier to track, monitor, and audit. When ownership changes—due to a role change, for instance—the corresponding accountability should be transferred to the new owner.
This approach not only identifies existing non-human identities but also lays the foundation for managing them effectively in the future.
2. Regularly Review Access
The potential security exposures caused by non-human identities are significant and orphaned machine identities are a great risk. Access reviews play a key role in identifying identities that have outlived their purpose. Access reviews also provide an opportunity to document the business justification for recently created machine identities.
Service account access reviews should be regular, automated, and comprehensive. Zilla has many customers who complete these reviews on a quarterly or more frequent basis, regardless of whether they are required as part of regulatory compliance. Customers find excessive access 100% of the time (a recent survey conducted by Zilla confirmed that 100% of organizations find excessive permissions during access reviews), and our team sees that much of this excessive access is due to overprivileged non-human identities.
3. Use AI and ML to Simplify Identity Management
Managing thousands of non-human identities and their entitlements can quickly become overwhelming. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are valuable tools that help detect unusual access patterns, predict access needs, and flag potential least-privilege violations.
Traditional user access reviews are already time-consuming, and the inclusion of non-human identities can make the process unmanageable. This often leads to rubber-stamped approvals or missed critical anomalies in permissions.
AI-based solutions, such as Zilla’s AI Profiles™, reduce the burden of identity management by eliminating redundant tasks and allowing administrators to focus on excessive privileges or potential security risks. By automating repetitive processes, IT and security teams can direct their efforts toward addressing real threats posed by non-human identities.
4. Apply the Principle of Least Privilege
Just because an identity isn’t human doesn’t mean that it should be treated any differently than a human identity in terms of security measures. Applying the principle of least privilege minimizes security risks by ensuring that each identity only has the permissions necessary to perform its function. We routinely see scenarios where non-human identities are mistakenly over-privileged, and even if not exploited, create a high degree of risk due to software bugs.
We always recommend that customers regularly review and adjust these permissions as roles evolve or organizational needs change. For example, a bot that previously accessed customer data for a specific purpose may no longer need that access if its function changes. Automating privilege adjustments, where possible, further ensures that permissions remain aligned with current requirements.
Non-Human Identity Management is Complex
The growing amount of cloud infrastructure in the modern enterprise and its complexities for identity management and governance merits in-depth additional discussion. Zilla is committed to helping our customers implement effective governance of machine identities. As a modern SaaS service, we have learned from our own experience in this space with practices like adopting infrastructure as code and expanding our global footprint.
Stay tuned for more insights throughout the year. Zilla Security is here to help you strengthen your identity management strategies for both human and non-human identities. Let’s discuss how Zilla can support your identity governance goals, for humans and non-humans alike.
