Non-Human Identity Security: Hidden Risk from Service Accounts, Tokens & NHIs

“Identity is the new perimeter” is widely accepted in modern security. Most organizations have strong controls around human users through IAM, MFA, and SSO.

But there is another identity layer that is growing faster and is far less controlled: non-human identities.

Non-human identity security focuses on managing and securing machine identities such as service accounts, API keys, OAuth tokens, secrets, bots, and AI agents.

Common non-human identity security risks include lack of visibility, overprivileged access, long-lived credentials, orphaned identities, and uncontrolled third-party access.

These identities power automation, SaaS integrations, cloud workloads, and AI systems. They also create a rapidly expanding and often unmanaged attack surface.

This growing attack surface is closely tied to how organizations manage identity and access at scale. Learn how to control this risk through
non-human identity and access governance.

What Is Non-Human Identity Security?

Non-human identity security is the practice of securing identities that are not tied to individual users.

These identities include:

• service accounts
• API keys
• OAuth tokens
• secrets and credentials
• automation scripts and bots
• AI agents

Non-human identity security includes managing service accounts, API keys, OAuth tokens, and other machine credentials across modern environments.

Many of these identities rely on delegated access models such as OAuth tokens, which introduce persistent access into systems. This is explored further in
how attackers exploit OAuth.

Unlike human identities, these credentials are often:

• long-lived
• highly privileged
• difficult to track
• rarely audited

Unlike traditional identity risks, non-human identity security risks often emerge after access has already been created and forgotten.

What Are Non-Human Identities?

Non-human identities are credentials used by systems and applications to interact with other systems.

Service Accounts

Used by applications to access systems and APIs.

API Keys

Used to authenticate system-to-system communication.

OAuth Tokens

Used to grant delegated access between applications.

Secrets and Credentials

Stored passwords, keys, or tokens used in automation.

Bots and Automation

Used in CI/CD pipelines and workflows.

AI Agents

Autonomous systems interacting with multiple tools and APIs.

Why Non-Human Identities Exist

Non-human identities enable modern systems to function.

They support:

• cloud automation
• SaaS integrations
• API-driven architectures
• continuous deployment
• AI-driven workflows

Without them, modern environments would not operate.

Why Non-Human Identities Are a Growing Security Risk

Non-human identities introduce risk because they scale faster than traditional security controls.

They:

• can significantly outnumber human users in many environments
• are often not fully visible to security teams
• may persist for long periods
• operate without direct user interaction

Astrix research shows that organizations can have significantly more non-human connections than human users, creating a rapidly expanding identity attack surface.

Where Non-Human Identity Risk Comes From

Lack of Visibility

Many organizations do not have a complete inventory of machine identities.

Overprivileged Access

Permissions are often broader than required to avoid breaking systems.

Orphaned Credentials

Access may remain after users or systems are removed.

Long-Lived Credentials

Keys and tokens may remain valid for extended periods.

Third-Party Access

External applications and vendors introduce additional exposure.

How Risk Increases Over Time

Non-human identity risk is not static. It grows as environments evolve.

Over time:

• new identities are continuously created
• ownership becomes unclear
• permissions accumulate
• integrations remain active
• systems change without access being reviewed

This leads to:

• identity sprawl
• stale access
• hidden dependencies

How Programmable Access Works: OAuth Example

One of the most common types of non-human identity is OAuth-based access.

When a user connects an application:

• they approve permissions through a consent screen
• the application receives an access token
• that token allows ongoing access to data

This access:

• can persist beyond the user session
• is often not fully visible to the organization
• depends on how the application manages the token

Learn how this is exploited in practice in
how attackers exploit OAuth.

Real-World Risk Examples

Non-human identities are frequently involved in real-world incidents.

For example:

• The
  Okta breach involving service accounts
  demonstrated how machine credentials can expose critical systems
• Modern
  supply chain attacks
  often rely on trusted third-party access

These attacks exploit existing access paths rather than breaking authentication systems directly.

What Effective Non-Human Identity Security Requires

Organizations need to extend identity security beyond users.

This requires:

Visibility

Understanding what identities exist

Ownership

Knowing who is responsible for each identity

Lifecycle Management

Creating, rotating, and removing credentials properly

Governance

Ensuring access aligns with business need

Learn how to control this attack surface through
non-human identity and access governance.

Final Takeaway

Non-human identities are not a niche problem.

They are foundational to modern systems.

Without visibility and control, they become one of the largest and least understood security risks.

Continue Learning

Learn how attackers exploit OAuth-based access in
how attackers exploit OAuth

Watch: How Attackers Exploit Non-Human Identities