Zero Trust and non-human identity security

Securing both human and non-human identities is crucial in modern IT infrastructures. While traditional cybersecurity focuses on protecting human users, the rise of automation, cloud services, IoT devices, and machine-to-machine communication has introduced non-human identities that also require protection. These digital entities, such as service accounts and bots, often have extensive access to sensitive systems and data, making them prime targets for cyberattacks. Traditional perimeter-based security models are no longer enough to address these challenges. Zero Trust architecture provides an effective solution to secure both human and non-human identities in today’s complex environments.

What is Zero Trust and non-human identity?

Zero Trust is a security approach based on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” This means no one or no system is trusted automatically—whether inside or outside the network. Every request for access is thoroughly checked to ensure it’s coming from an authorized source. This approach has been widely adopted to secure human identities, making sure that only legitimate users can access critical resources. But today, as technology evolves, non-human identities are becoming just as important to secure. Non-human identities include service accounts, IoT devices, bots, and machine-to-machine communications—essentially, digital systems that interact with networks and resources but aren’t human. These identities are critical in automation and cloud-based environments, and just like human identities, they need strong protection to prevent unauthorized access or misuse.

Why Zero Trust is crucial for non-human identity security

As non-human identities, such as service accounts, IoT devices, and bots become increasingly common in automation and cloud services, traditional security models are proving inadequate. Traditional security, based on perimeter defenses, focuses primarily on protecting human users from external threats but fails to address the unique challenges posed by non-human identities. These digital entities often have broad access to critical systems and data, making them prime targets for unauthorized access, misuse, or exploitation.

Zero Trust, which assumes that no entity is trusted by default, is essential for securing non-human identities. By continuously verifying every request from these identities, whether originating from within or outside the network, Zero Trust minimizes the risk of malicious activity. It also limits the potential damage if a non-human identity is compromised, as access is granted only based on strict verification and least-privilege access policies. This approach ensures that even if an automated system or service account is breached, attackers cannot freely move across the network.

How Zero Trust applies to non-human identities

Zero trust applies strict access control to non-human identities, ensuring that they can only access the specific resources they absolutely need. This principle, known as least privilege, minimizes the attack surface by restricting permissions to the bare minimum required for tasks. For non-human entities like machines, bots, or services, Zero Trust uses strong authentication methods such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) or certificate-based authentication to ensure that only authorized systems can interact with sensitive data and services.

Additionally, Zero Trust continuously monitors and verifies non-human identities at every access request. This approach ensures that even once a non-human entity is authenticated, it is re-verified each time it performs an action or requests access to resources. Continuous validation ensures that no system, even if compromised, can freely move across a network without being detected, limiting the potential impact of security breaches and maintaining tight control over every machine-to-machine interaction.

In a large cloud-based organization, service accounts need tighter security to prevent unauthorized access. By implementing Zero Trust, a company enforces the principle of least privilege using IAM roles in AWS and Azure, ensuring service accounts only have access to necessary resources. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is applied for sensitive accounts, and credentials are rotated automatically to minimize risks. Continuous monitoring and real-time alerts help detect suspicious activity, ensuring any potential threats are addressed promptly. This approach successfully secures service accounts and reinforces Zero Trust principles.

Best practices for implementing Zero Trust with non-human identities

To effectively implement Zero Trust with non-human identities, start by applying the principle of least privilege access. Non-human identities, such as service accounts or IoT devices, should only have the minimum permissions necessary to perform their tasks, reducing the risk of misuse or escalation. Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems play a vital role in controlling these machine identities. Tools like AWS IAM, Azure Active Directory, and Kubernetes RBAC help enforce Zero Trust policies by ensuring only authorized entities can access critical resources. Additionally, network segmentation isolates sensitive systems, preventing unauthorized lateral movement if a non-human identity is compromised. Micro-segmentation further tightens control by providing more granular access, ensuring non-human identities are restricted to specific areas within the network. Implementing these best practices strengthens security and limits the damage that could result from a compromised machine identity.

Learn how Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is essential in strengthening RMM security

Technical implementation of Zero Trust for non-human identities

To effectively secure non-human identities, a technical approach is needed to ensure every access request and action is continuously verified. Here’s how Zero Trust is implemented in a technical context for these identities:

• Authentication and authorization methods: Non-human identities are authenticated through methods like certificates, API keys, or machine identities, ensuring that only authorized services or devices can access systems. OAuth, OpenID Connect, or custom solutions are used to secure APIs and service-to-service communication.
• Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): ZTNA secures connections between non-human entities (e.g., bots, IoT devices, services) by verifying each connection in real time. Unlike traditional VPNs, ZTNA ensures that only authorized access is allowed, continuously validating each request.
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and threat detection: Security Information and Event Management systems collect logs and monitor non-human identities for unusual behavior. Machine learning and AI are employed to detect anomalies, such as unusual patterns in the actions of service accounts or IoT devices, enhancing threat detection and response.

Challenges in securing non-human identities with Zero Trust

As organizations increasingly adopt Zero Trust to protect non-human identities, several challenges emerge. These challenges stem from the complexity of managing a large number of devices, services, and systems, as well as the need to integrate Zero Trust principles into existing infrastructures.

Scale and complexity: Implementing Zero Trust at scale can be challenging, especially with large numbers of non-human identities spread across various systems and platforms. The diversity of legacy systems alongside modern cloud-based services adds complexity, requiring tailored security approaches for each environment.

Automation and management overhead: Managing Zero Trust policies for non-human identities in dynamic environments requires constant updates and automation. Automating processes like onboarding and offboarding devices, services, and machine identities is essential to prevent manual errors and ensure timely compliance.

Integration with legacy systems: Integrating Zero Trust into older, legacy systems is often a significant challenge. Many legacy systems were not built with security as a priority, and retrofitting them with Zero Trust principles can be difficult and resource-intensive, leading to potential gaps in protection.

The future of Zero Trust for non-human identities

As new types of non-human identities, such as autonomous systems and AI-driven devices, continue to emerge, Zero Trust will need to adapt and evolve to address these advanced threats. These technologies will require even more stringent access controls and continuous monitoring to ensure they remain secure.

Zero Trust provides the essential framework for securing non-human identities, offering a proactive approach to cybersecurity by continuously verifying every access request. As the complexity and volume of non-human identities increase, adopting Zero Trust will be vital for organizations aiming to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. By implementing these principles now, organizations can ensure a secure foundation for the future of IT infrastructures and protect against evolving security challenges.