Non-Human Identities (NHIs) vs. Machine Identities: Key Differences & Security Best Practices

What Are Non-Human Identities (NHIs) & Why Do They Matter?

Identity extends far beyond human users. Non-Human Identities (NHIs) have become an essential component of modern IT ecosystems, facilitating communication between devices, applications, and services. However, there is growing confusion in the market about what NHIs truly encompass, particularly when differentiating them from machine identities. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for organizations aiming to secure their environments effectively.

‍

Defining Non-Human Identities (NHIs)

Non-Human Identities (NHIs) refer to digital identities that are not associated with individual human users. These identities can belong to:

• Devices – IoT sensors, network routers, laptops, and mobile devices
• Applications & Software – Cloud services, microservices, APIs
• Automated Processes – Bots, service accounts, CI/CD pipelines
• Legal Entities – Organizational identifiers, such as Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs)
• Animals – RFID-chipped pets or livestock in agricultural and regulatory settings

While NHIs encompass a broad category, machine identities are a specific subset of NHIs.

‍

Machine Identities vs. NHIs: Key Differences Explained

Although machine identities fall within the broader NHI category, they are distinct in scope, management practices, and security concerns.

‍

Understanding these distinctions helps organizations implement appropriate security measures for each type of NHI.

‍

How to Secure NHIs: Best Practices for Identity Management

As NHIs proliferate, organizations face growing security and operational challenges. Here’s how to mitigate risks and improve NHI security:

1. Discover and Inventory All NHIs

• Implement automated discovery tools to detect all NHIs in cloud and on-premises environments.
• Maintain an up-to-date inventory of machine identities, service accounts, and automated processes.
• Learn more about how service account key origins affect NHI security in this guide.

2. Centralize NHI Management

• Use a unified identity management platform to handle machine and non-human identities in a single interface.
• Establish governance policies for lifecycle management—ensuring NHIs are provisioned, monitored, and deprovisioned when no longer needed.

3. Enforce Least Privilege Access

• Assign minimal permissions to NHIs based on their function.
• Implement role-based access control (RBAC) and attribute-based access control (ABAC) to restrict identity permissions dynamically.
• Understand how transitive access in GCP impacts privilege escalation risks in this article.

4. Strengthen Authentication & Credential Security

• Use strong authentication mechanisms like X.509 certificates and OAuth tokens for machine identities.
• Rotate and securely store API keys, secrets, and service account credentials to prevent unauthorized access.

5. Implement Continuous Monitoring & Threat Detection

• Set up real-time monitoring for unusual NHI behavior, such as unexpected credential usage.
• Use Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) solutions to detect and mitigate identity-based threats.

FAQ: Addressing Common NHI Security Questions

Q: What’s the biggest risk with Non-Human Identities?

A: Unmanaged NHIs, like stale service accounts or exposed API keys, can be exploited by attackers for lateral movement.

Q: How should organizations prioritize NHI security?

A: Start with discovery, enforce least privilege, and implement automated monitoring to detect unauthorized NHI usage.

Q: How is a machine identity different from an NHI?

A: All machine identities are NHIs, but not all NHIs are machines. Machine identities specifically apply to workloads, devices, and cloud services, whereas NHIs also include software bots, legal entities, and RFID-tagged animals.

Conclusion

Non-Human Identities (NHIs) are essential to digital ecosystems, but organizations must clearly differentiate between machine identities and other NHIs to implement effective security controls. While machine IAM focuses on securing workloads and devices, broader NHI governance includes service accounts, API keys, and even legal entities.

‍

By following best practices in discovery, management, access control, and monitoring, organizations can reduce security risks and ensure NHIs remain an asset rather than a liability. The key is to implement identity-first security strategies that account for the growing complexity of non-human entities in cloud-driven environments.

Additional Resources & References

• Gartner: Top Cybersecurity Trends for 2025
• The Ultimate Guide to Non-Human Identities
• Understanding Machine Identity & Security

‍

‍