Token Expiration

Overview

Token expiration refers to the automatic invalidation of authentication tokens after a predefined period. These tokens — often used by applications, scripts, and services — help systems verify identity without exposing raw credentials. Enforcing expiration ensures these tokens are temporary, limiting their usefulness if intercepted or misused.

What Is Token Expiration?

A token is a digital key that grants access to a system or resource. Token expiration sets a defined lifetime for that key. Once it expires, the token becomes invalid and must be replaced. This is especially critical in managing non-human identities that rely on persistent credentials like OAuth tokens to access APIs, automate processes, or integrate third-party tools.

How Does Token Expiration Work?

When a token is issued, it includes metadata that determines when it will expire. There are typically two patterns:

• Time-bound expiration: Tokens are valid for a set duration (e.g., 1 hour) before becoming invalid.
• Rotational expiration: Tokens are rotated regularly, replacing old tokens to prevent reuse.

In secure SaaS environments, token expiration should be automated and logged. Astrix supports real-time discovery and expiration tracking to prevent stale or overly permissive tokens from becoming a threat.

Why Is Token Expiration Important?

Without token expiration, credentials can linger long past their intended use. This creates hidden risk, especially for machine credentials embedded in scripts or third-party integrations. Expired tokens reduce the chance of lateral movement and are a key part of lifecycle management and credential hygiene.

Astrix’s Solution for Token Expiration

Astrix Security enforces token expiration as part of a broader strategy to reduce your non-human attack surface. The platform identifies all tokens in use — even those introduced by shadow AI or third-party apps — and enables automated expiration, rotation, and revocation. Alerts and remediation capabilities ensure expired tokens are removed or replaced immediately.

Even small tokens carry big risks when left unchecked. Book a demo to see how Astrix can help you enforce token expiration and secure every non-human identity in your environment.