Organizations have long focused on securing human users – employees, partners and customers. But what about the identities that aren’t tied to a person? Non-human identities (NHIs), including service accounts, bots, APIs, machine identities and more, now outnumber human identities 20:1 in most organizations! Yet, they often lack proper oversight, making them a growing security risk.
Non-human identities (NHIs) play a critical role in your organization – not just as security risks, but as potential assets for strengthening identity security.
At the Gartner Identity & Access Management Summit 2025, One Identity Field Strategist Robert Kraczek presented Exploring opportunities and benefits of non-human identities. This session explored the evolving role of NHIs and how organizations can securely harness their power to strengthen identity security programs.
What are non-human identities and how do they function?
A non-human identity (NHI) is a digital identity (such as a user account, or a token) used to represent and authenticate machines, applications and services in a digital environment. NHIs enable secure machine-to-machine communication and authorization between the components in complex systems.
Unlike humans, NHIs operate based on pre-defined rules, executing tasks at high speed, which amplifies risks and damage in case of compromise.
NHIs are everywhere
NHIs have existed for decades but the way we use them has changed. Today, NHIs play an active role in security operations, threat detection and decision-making. NHIs now execute tasks that once required human intervention, from analyzing security threats to approving transactions. Despite their prevalence, NHIs are often unmanaged, unmonitored and under protected – creating a perfect storm for attackers to exploit.
The security risks of ignoring NHIs
Many NHIs are granted excessive privileges, making them prime targets for attackers. Unlike human identities, NHIs often fall outside traditional IAM policies, leading to fragmented security controls and a lack of governance. Credential misuse is another major concern NHIs pose, with issues like hardcoded credentials, orphaned accounts and weak API keys that elevate the risk of breaches.
How to secure and optimize NHIs
NHIs are a force multiplier for security teams when integrated properly. As Robert said, “non-human identities have the ability to enhance the strength and resiliency of your identity security program as a force multiplier. The risk is worth the reward.”
Traditional security measures – such as firewalls, virus protection programs and intrusion detection systems (IDS) – often fall short in detecting sophisticated attacks that exploit NHIs. Attackers leverage advanced tactics such as stealth, obfuscation, and polymorphism to evade detection methods, increasing pressure on security teams that are already overwhelmed by an avalanche of security incidents.
NHIs can be harnessed to provide analytical insights like never before, enhance productivity and improve detection accuracy. They also drive automation that can evolve into autonomy and facilitate adaptable design.
Achieving the NHI transformation
To fully optimize NHIs, this transformation requires:
- Deep learning and AI integration: AI-driven threat detection models continuously learn and adapt to evolving attack techniques.
- Continuous monitoring and governance: NHIs must be treated with the same level of scrutiny as human identities.
- Automated countermeasures: Real-time analytics and machine learning enable NHIs to execute proactive threat mitigation.
- Seamless integration with IoT and edge computing: NHIs extend security to cloud workloads, connected devices and digital services.
Conclusion
With AI-driven automation reshaping cybersecurity processes, NHIs will only become more influential. Organizations that embrace NHIs as a security asset rather than a liability will be better positioned to defend against modern cyber threats.
