For centuries, identity was an uncomplicated matter. People had a name, face, and documentation for their identity verification. However, in the world of technology, identity has become much wider than that of human beings. Currently, any application, bot, device, system of artificial intelligence, and automated services need their identities too. Collectively referred to as Non-Human Identities (NHIs), this type of entity is one of the most critical elements of modern technologies.
With the use of cloud computing, automation, and artificial intelligence becoming widespread among organizations and governments, the amount of non-human identities is rapidly increasing. Even though they facilitate our life and speed up many technological processes, non-human identities bring another question: How can we manage and protect them?
Non-Human Identities – What Are They?
When it comes to non-human identities, we are talking about any kind of digital identity that does not belong to a human but is used by a computer program or machine. NHIs help programs and machines authenticate themselves and exchange information.
Examples include:
- AI agents
- Internet of things devices
- APIs and microservices
- Bots and scripts
Whenever applications connect to databases, smart devices connect to the Internet, or AI assistants perform certain tasks, NHIs are behind the scene.
Unlike user accounts that need a break once in a while, NHIs work 24/7 and sometimes on a very large scale. An organization might hire thousands of employees, but have tens or hundreds of millions of machine identities at the same time.
Why Are NHIs Becoming More Popular?
The growth in the number of NHIs is related to the digitization of the corporate world. Organizations are becoming more dependent on using clouds, automation, and distributed architectures to stay relevant. Nowadays, applications are not developed to operate as a single system on one computer but consist of dozens of connected services.
Furthermore, artificial intelligence is contributing to the problem. Agents use AI to examine financial transactions, create content, identify potential fraudulent activities, perform logistics operations, and help customers. Each of these agents needs some kind of identity and authentication.
Another factor which should be considered here is the Internet of Things. Modern factories, smart cars, healthcare equipment, and household devices have their own machine identities.
Security Risks Related to NHIs
Even though NHIs are more efficient, they present a substantial security risk as well. Machine identities are vastly more numerous than human identities in most companies, but they get way less attention.
There is a problem with credentials management, since applications use API keys, certificates, and tokens to authenticate themselves. If they get compromised, malicious actors can easily access sensitive resources.
The following security risks exist related to NHIs:
Poor Identity Management
As more applications and services are being used in companies, credential proliferation happens very quickly. In some cases, secrets are stored in unprotected places such as repository systems or configurations. Meanwhile, many businesses face problems with tracking what applications have access to important data and what credentials remain active.
Overprivileged Access
Many machine identities are given access beyond reasonable limits. A single breach in an application or bot can lead to revealing too much sensitive information due to lack of access controls.
AI-Based Threats
The development of generative AI brings new challenges with it. Autonomous AI can do much more sophisticated activities – ranging from code writing to business decisions. And as more control is given to these systems, potential risks for compromised AI identity grow.
The problem is not anymore about the ability of machines to operate on their own. It is about the possibility of people to control their creations.
The Identity Crisis of Trust
Fundamentally, the NHI problem is not just a technical issue but rather a philosophical one as well.
Societies of people thrive on trust. We trust doctors based on qualifications, banks based on laws, and government based on legal framework. In the online world, the notion of trust has always been centered on human beings.
Non-human identity creates an anomaly in this paradigm. Machines are capable of making decisions, conducting transactions, and communicating without human interaction. However, machines have neither any intent, nor accountability, nor any sense of morality.
The following question arises here:
To what extent should autonomous machines be entrusted with responsibilities?
These issues will become even more significant as AI begins to penetrate daily life.
This is currently happening in relation to the internet.
Businesses have a heavy reliance on chatbots and other automated services, which affect how users interact online. The distinction between human and machine interaction is becoming blurred.
Organizational Responses to This Issue
In response to the increasing complexity of NHIs, firms are deploying security approaches to tackle the problem.
Zero Trust Architecture
The concept of Zero Trust is straightforward. Nothing should be trusted by default, meaning every identity, whether human or machine, must constantly prove its legitimacy before accessing the system.
Least-Privilege Access
Every machine identity should have the minimum permissions necessary. Access limitations reduce the extent of the damage when credentials get compromised.
AI Governance
Along with the rise of autonomous systems, firms are adopting guidelines for the deployment, oversight, and monitoring of autonomous agents.
This acknowledges that identity management should no longer consider just humans.
Looking Forward
The amount of identities that are not human will keep growing as AI, robots, and automation technology integrate into people’s daily lives. The next generation of digital eco-systems could have trillions of machine identities communicating within the network.
Identity is no longer about verifying the identity of a person. Identity is increasingly about choosing which machines will be allowed to access and have autonomy and control.
The next identity crisis might not be about hacked password or fabricated accounts. The next identity crisis might involve billions of invisible digital entities working in the background and making decisions for us.
Find more resources on cybersecurity, threat intelligence, digital risk, privacy compliance, and consent management through IntelligenceX CyberSecurity and ConsentX. IntelligenceX helps organizations identify and understand emerging cyber threats through focused digital intelligence analysis and investigations, while ConsentX empowers businesses to achieve global privacy compliance with comprehensive consent management, cookie compliance, and data privacy solutions.
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