The Aembit 2024 Non-Human Identity Security Report highlights an alarming gap in organizations' security practices for non-human identities (NHIs), as outdated methods and manual processes proliferate. With the rapid rise of NHIs amidst cloud adoption and automation, it's concerning to see that 88.5% of organizations admit their IAM practices for NHIs lag behind their user IAM methods. Furthermore, only 19.6% feel confident in their non-human IAM efforts, showcasing the pressing need for better security measures.
The survey reveals that organizations are still engaging in risky behaviors, such as storing long-term credentials in code. This was reported by 30.9% of respondents. Moreover, 23.7% admitted to sharing sensitive information through insecure channels such as email or messaging apps. These challenges underline how inadequate security practices remain prevalent, leaving non-human identities vulnerable to breaches and indicating deep-rooted issues within access management.
Despite growing awareness of the importance of securing non-human identities, organizations continue to use outmoded methods. For instance, 38.9% of respondents indicated that they still utilize less-secure practices like secrets managers for non-human workload-to-workload authentication. This reliance on antiquated techniques not only falters in effectiveness but also reflects a wider IAM maturity gap, where organizations acknowledge their inadequate non-human IAM defenses while struggling to enhance them.
The report underscores a widespread challenge in managing non-human identities in increasingly complex, multi-cloud environments. Approximately 35.6% of organizations reported difficulties in implementing robust security around NHIs, often due to inconsistent access management protocols and unclear ownership of security responsibilities. This scenario emphasizes the critical nature of establishing clear governance in non-human identity security as part of a comprehensive IAM strategy.
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