Non-Human Identities (NHIs) are digital credentials assigned to machines, services, applications and other systems that interact in a digital environment. Unlike human identities, which are connected to individual users through usernames, passwords and biometrics, NHIs represent non-human entities that need secure and automated access to networks and data. NHIs are crucial in modern IT environments, where an increasing number of automated tasks and processes are completed without human interaction.
NHIs come in many forms, each serving a different role in automated processes. The most common types of NHIs include:
The continuous growth of automation and cloud environments has led to an increased reliance on NHIs. Every container and virtual machine requires its own identity in the form of an API key, token or service account. Although NHIs are crucial for enabling seamless automation, they significantly expand the attack surface. Each credential can become a potential attack vector for cybercriminals if not properly secured.
One of the most significant cybersecurity concerns is overprivileged NHIs. NHIs are generally granted broad access to complete various automated tasks, which often exceed what’s necessary. This access is rarely reviewed, making it easier for cybercriminals to exploit a compromised NHI, escalate privileges or remain undetected while accessing sensitive data. Managing NHIs effectively is now a key part of Identity and Access Management (IAM); without granular access controls, unmonitored and overprivileged NHIs introduce significant security risks.
Many new security risks and challenges are caused by the growing number of NHIs, ranging from overprivileged access to weak monitoring across complex environments.
NHIs are generally granted broad, permanent access out of convenience, especially in fast-paced DevOps and cloud environments. However, if one of these identities is compromised, cybercriminals may move laterally across a network and gain access to sensitive systems or data. Compromised NHIs with standing access to sensitive information can result in a much larger blast radius, turning one compromised NHI into a full-fledged data breach.
Many organisations struggle to maintain a full and updated inventory of NHIs across their environments. This lack of visibility leads to shadow identities, which are untracked NHIs that fall beyond established security controls. Without full oversight of NHI activity, these shadow identities can create blind spots that cybercriminals can exploit to gain access to critical systems.
NHIs rely on credentials like API keys, tokens and certificates to authenticate and access systems, but these credentials are often poorly managed. Some credentials may be hardcoded in code repositories, rarely rotated or shared across multiple services – all of which increase the risk of compromise. When these credentials are exposed or leaked, they can provide cybercriminals with direct access to sensitive information.
Since NHIs often run silently in the background, they perform the majority of their tasks without human oversight. If NHI behavior isn’t properly monitored and logged, abnormal or malicious activity may go undetected. Without behavioral baselines or detailed audit trails, organisations may not effectively identify compromised NHIs or privilege misuse until it’s too late.
Organisations must be proactive in securing NHIs by implementing the following best practices.
Apply the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) to ensure NHIs only have the minimum access necessary to perform their tasks. Avoid granting broad, permanent access to NHIs, and regularly review permissions to minimise exposure in the event of a compromise.
Regularly rotate API keys, tokens, certificates and other credentials to limit the lifespan of potentially compromised NHIs. Credential rotation helps prevent unauthorised access from going unnoticed, and it should be automated wherever possible for convenience. KeeperPAM® supports automatic credential rotation and time-limited access to service accounts and infrastructure.
Centralise the access, storage and auditing of credentials through a reliable secrets management system. This ensures secrets, including API keys and tokens, are encrypted and not exposed in code or configuration files. A solution like Keeper Secrets Manager protects secrets and supports integration across DevOps pipelines and cloud environments.
Establish automated workflows for the creation, review and revocation of NHIs. This helps reduce human error and ensures that orphaned identities don’t remain without oversight in your environment.
Track all NHI behavior, including logins, resource access and credential usage. Establish behavior baselines to quickly detect unexpected activity and behavioral anomalies. Platforms like KeeperPAM help organisations monitor all NHI activity, enforce zero-trust access and secure remote sessions.
Non-Human Identities (NHIs) are a broad category of digital identities that aren’t connected to a human user, such as service accounts, bots and IoT devices. Machine identities are a specific type of NHI used to authenticate machines, typically through TLS certificates, tokens or SSH keys. To put it simply, all machine identities are NHIs, but not all NHIs are machine identities.
No, Non-Human Identities (NHIs) aren’t compatible with traditional Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) methods because they are designed for human users. Instead, NHIs rely on tokens and certificate-based authentication to verify their identity and protect access. Although MFA isn’t used in the same way for NHIs as for human users, enforcing secrets management and least privilege access serves a similar purpose.
Yes, but Non-Human Identity (NHI) coverage varies depending on the Identity and Access Management (IAM) tool. Traditional IAM solutions focus on human users and offer limited support for NHIs. However, modern solutions like KeeperPAM are designed to secure both human and non-human entities. KeeperPAM provides controls for NHIs like credential rotation, secrets management and activity monitoring – ensuring that machine and service accounts are properly secured.
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