Non-human identities have become a critical part of modern systems. These are the service accounts, bots, APIs, and other automated entities that interact across applications, cloud environments, and infrastructure. As useful as they are, they can also introduce risk—making it essential to monitor and audit them effectively.
This post dives into why auditing non-human identities matters, the challenges of doing so, and the steps you can take to secure and maintain them.
What Are Non-Human Identities?
Non-human identities don’t belong to individual users. Instead, they exist to enable automated tasks across systems. These could include:
- Service accounts: Used for running jobs or connecting systems.
- API keys: Allow services to communicate with each other securely.
- Bot accounts: Automated agents designed for repetitive tasks.
Unlike human users, non-human identities often have elevated permissions to perform their tasks, which makes them possible entry points for attackers if not properly configured or monitored.
Why Auditing Non-Human Identities Is Critical
Ignoring the activity of non-human identities can lead to several issues:
- Unauthorized access: If an API key or service account is compromised, it could let attackers move through your system undetected.
- Orphaned accounts: Over time, organizations create service accounts or bots that no longer serve a purpose, yet still have active access.
- Permission creep: Non-human identities might accumulate more privileges than they really need, creating unnecessary risk.
- Unmonitored activity: Attacks can exploit neglected non-human identities as a quiet entry point into critical resources.
Auditing ensures transparency by answering key questions: What permissions does this identity have? When was it last used? Is it still following policies?
Top Challenges in Auditing Non-Human Identities
Auditing these identities is far from straightforward. Here’s why:
- Volume: Organizations can have hundreds, if not thousands, of non-human identities running simultaneously. Tracking them all manually is nearly impossible.
- Complex permissions: APIs, cloud services, and networking tools use different structures for access control, making it hard to get a unified view.
- Activity noise: With so much automation happening, it’s easy to drown in logs and miss real issues.
- Lifecycle management: Dealing with temporary or forgotten identities requires robust processes.
Without specialized tools and practices, teams often lack the visibility needed to respond effectively.
How to Audit Non-Human Identities Effectively
To minimize risk, start building an effective auditing process by considering these steps:
1. Create an Inventory
Catalog all active non-human identities. This includes existing service accounts, API keys, and bot accounts. Identify their roles and the systems they interact with.
2. Evaluate Permissions
Review what access each non-human identity has. Check whether permissions align with their actual purpose, sticking to the principle of least privilege.
3. Monitor Activity Logs
Enable detailed logging for all non-human identity activity. Pay attention to anomalies, such as actions occurring outside normal workflows or unexpected geographies.
4. Rotate Secrets Regularly
Credentials like API keys and service account tokens should be frequently rotated, just like passwords for human identities.
5. Automate Auditing
Manual processes can’t scale. Invest in tools that can provide automatic scans, alerting, and reports specific to non-human identities.
Simplify Auditing with hoop.dev
Auditing non-human identities doesn’t need to feel like an uphill battle. With hoop.dev, managing access and activity across all your identities—human or not—becomes simple. Our platform provides detailed visibility and ensures policies are enforced consistently.
Get a clear picture of your non-human identities and ensure they’re secure. See how hoop.dev works in minutes.
Properly auditing non-human identities isn’t optional—it’s a cornerstone of secure, reliable systems. By taking the right steps early, you’ll save your team from preventable risks while maintaining control over automation.