Company
Date Published
Author
Doug Sillars
Word count
1429
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

The concept of Non-Human Identity (NHI) has emerged to address the growing need for machine-to-machine authentication and authorization in automated systems. NHIs are digital entities that require authentication and authorization to access specific resources or interact with IT infrastructure, existing mainly for machine-to-machine interactions. Unlike human identities, NHIs have distinct security models, governance, and oversight requirements, which can lead to challenges if not properly managed. The misuse of NHIs by attackers can result in significant security risks, including credential leaks, privilege escalation, and unauthorized access to sensitive data. To mitigate these risks, implementing robust security measures, such as role-based access control, the principle of least privilege, regular token rotation, and monitoring, is crucial. Additionally, adopting a zero-trust principle for NHIs and leveraging technologies like blockchain and AI-powered security can help shape the future of NHI management and ensure reliable security.