Nonhuman Identities Require Stronger Cyber Governance

Nonhuman identities and the governance gap

While their name might sound like something from a science fiction novel, nonhuman identities have become a fundamental part of modern IT environments and a growing cybersecurity concern. Nonhuman identities are digital identities assigned to software that can automatically access systems and data. Rather than requiring users to complete routine tasks manually, organizations can use nonhuman identities to automate those activities at scale. Examples of traditional nonhuman identities include service accounts, system accounts, and application programming interface (API) accounts. Many traditional nonhuman identities are also referred to as machine identities because they authenticate workloads and devices rather than people. These identities rely on credentials such as API keys, certificates, or secrets to verify identity and communicate securely. More recently, another class of nonhuman identities has emerged: AI agents that automate tasks without human intervention. Unlike traditional machine identities that perform a single predefined function, AI agents can reason through tasks, make decisions based on context, and interact with multiple applications to complete complex workflows.

Nonhuman identities are critical in modern software such as service environments because they support automation, integration, and machine-to-machine communication. By allowing applications, services, and scripts to authenticate and interact securely without human intervention, they reduce manual workload and enable systems to work together. Without nonhuman identities, many business processes would require extensive manual effort, which would not be efficient. As cloud adoption and AI automation increase, so will the number of nonhuman identities within these environments. In many organizations, these identities now outnumber human users.

Many organizations understand the crucial part that nonhuman identities play in daily business functions, but they struggle to manage them efficiently. Specifically, many organizations have not yet developed governance processes that keep pace with their growth. Research commissioned by the Cloud Security Alliance found that only 15% of organizations reported high confidence in their ability to prevent attacks involving nonhuman identities, while 69% expressed concerns about related security risks. The study also found that only 20% of organizations have formal processes for offboarding and revoking API keys. These findings highlight the gap between reliance on nonhuman identities and the ability to govern them effectively. The challenge of implementing machine identities is maintaining visibility as they are created and retired across cloud environments. Unlike employee accounts, machine identities are often provisioned automatically as applications and services are deployed. Without a centralized inventory, defined ownership and life cycle reviews, organizations can lose track of which machine identities exist and whether those permissions are still appropriate.

Security risks hidden in plain sight

Clear visibility of the identity landscape often declines as nonhuman identities multiply. Unlike employee accounts, machine identities rarely receive attention after deployment. Excessive permissions, stale credentials, and dormant accounts accumulate over time. Organizations can lose track of which identities exist, which systems they can access, and whether that access remains necessary.

Excessive privileges and dormant accounts create some of the most significant security risks. Machine identities often receive permissions based on their intended role or function, but organizations rarely revisit those permissions as environments change.

For example, an automated service account created for a temporary project might remain active long after the project ends. Without regular reviews, the account retains access to systems it no longer needs. Attackers can target these overlooked identities to gain an initial foothold, move laterally across the environment, and compromise additional accounts and services.

How AI expands the nonhuman identity attack surface

AI adoption is accelerating the growth of nonhuman identities. Traditional nonhuman identities, such as service accounts and APIs, typically operate within a defined scope. AI agents require broader access across applications, cloud services, and data sources to complete complex workflows.

For example, an AI-powered customer service agent might connect to a customer resource management platform, an internal knowledge base, and a ticketing system. Each connection relies on credentials, tokens, or other machine identities to authenticate and access those resources. Ultimately, as organizations begin to deploy more AI tools, the number of nonhuman identities associated with those tools will quickly increase.

Rapid growth creates new security challenges. AI agents often need broad permissions to perform their tasks, which makes them attractive targets for attackers. If an attacker compromises an AI agent’s credentials, that access can provide a path into multiple applications, databases, and cloud environments. Without strong identity governance, a single compromised nonhuman identity can expand the scope and impact of an attack.

Strengthening nonhuman identity security

As nonhuman identities continue to outnumber human users in many enterprise environments, organizations should make them a core component of identity security strategies rather than treating them as isolated technical assets. Governance begins with true visibility. Security teams should maintain an up-to-date inventory of service accounts, APIs, applications, and AI agents; identify business owners for each identity; and continually review whether those identities and their permissions are necessary. Dormant accounts should be retired and unnecessary access should be revoked to reduce the attack surface.

Organizations should also extend identity life cycle management to nonhuman identities. Like employee accounts that follow provisioning and deprovisioning processes, nonhuman identities should be subject to established creation, approval, and retirement procedures. The automation of these processes helps organizations confirm that orphaned service accounts are no longer active, especially after they are no longer needed.

Credential management requires the same level of attention. Organizations should securely store API keys, tokens, and certificates and continuously monitor them for unauthorized use. When possible, they should replace long-lived credentials with short-lived credentials to reduce risk. They also should apply least-privilege access so each nonhuman identity can access only the systems and data required to perform its function.

Best practices regarding nonhuman identities become even more important as organizations deploy AI agents across business operations. Compared to traditional service account identities, AI agents often interact with multiple applications and data sources as they complete complex workflows. Continual monitoring and policy-based controls help organizations identify unusual behavior and detect compromised credentials more quickly. Integrating nonhuman identities into existing governance programs can help organizations strengthen security while continuing to support automation and AI initiatives.

Nonhuman identities demand equal attention

AI, cloud services, and automation will continue to expand the number and complexity of nonhuman identities across enterprise environments. Although these identities improve efficiency and support new business capabilities, they also create additional paths for attackers when organizations fail to manage them effectively.

Organizations should govern nonhuman identities with the same discipline they apply to human users. Visibility, least-privilege access, credential management, and regular reviews help reduce risk while allowing AI and automation initiatives to scale. As AI adoption accelerates, effective identity management will play a central role in protecting enterprise systems and data.