Nonhuman Identity
In cybersecurity, Nonhuman Identity (NHI) refers to the digital identities assigned to non-human entities within an IT infrastructure. These entities can include:
Machines: Servers, workstations, laptops, mobile devices, IoT devices, etc.
Applications: Software programs, services, and processes running on machines.
Cloud workloads: Virtual machines, containers, serverless functions, etc.
Automated processes: Scripts, bots, and other automated tasks.
Any digital entity interacting with IT systems and resources requires a nonhuman identity to authenticate and authorize its access.
Why are NHIs important in cybersecurity?
NHIs are crucial for several reasons:
Authentication and Authorization allow systems to verify the identities of machines and applications, ensuring that only authorized entities can access specific resources.
Access Control: NHIs enable granular control over what different machines and applications can do within a system, limiting their privileges and preventing unauthorized access.
Automation: NHIs facilitate machine-to-machine communication and automation, enabling efficient workflows and reducing the need for human intervention.
Security Monitoring: Tracking NHI activities helps identify suspicious behavior and potential security breaches.
Typical forms of NHIs:
API keys: Unique identifiers used to authenticate applications accessing an API.
OAuth tokens: Temporary credentials granting access to specific resources.
Service accounts: Special accounts used by applications to access services and resources.
Secrets: Sensitive information like passwords, certificates, and encryption keys used for authentication and authorization.
Challenges and risks associated with NHIs:
Increased attack surface: The growing number of NHIs expands the potential entry points for attackers.
Lack of visibility: Organizations often struggle to track and manage all their NHIs, leading to security blind spots.
Credential compromise: If NHI credentials are stolen or misused, attackers can gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems and data.
Privilege escalation: Exploiting vulnerabilities in NHI management can allow attackers to gain higher-level privileges.
Best practices for managing NHIs:
Inventory and track all NHIs: Maintain a comprehensive inventory of all NHIs within the organization.
Implement strong authentication and authorization mechanisms: Use strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and least privilege principles.
Securely store and manage credentials: Use secrets management solutions to protect sensitive credentials.
Review and audit NHI activity regularly: Monitor NHI usage for suspicious behavior and revoke unnecessary access.
Stay updated on NHI security best practices: Stay current on the latest security recommendations and technologies for managing NHIs.
By effectively managing NHIs, organizations can significantly improve their overall cybersecurity posture and reduce the risk of breaches.
ThreatNG is a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that offers a wide range of features and capabilities. Here's how it can help manage Nonhuman Identities (NHIs) and work with complementary solutions:
1. NHI Discovery and Assessment:
Extensive Inventory: ThreatNG's attack surface management module excels at discovering exposed assets, including applications, cloud workloads, and devices. This helps identify NHIs that might be overlooked.
Vulnerability Scanning: By identifying vulnerabilities in applications and systems, ThreatNG helps pinpoint weaknesses that could be exploited to compromise NHIs.
Sensitive Code Exposure: The platform's code analysis capabilities can uncover hardcoded credentials and secrets within applications often associated with NHIs.
Cloud and SaaS Exposure: ThreatNG can identify unsanctioned cloud services and SaaS applications, which may be using NHIs with improper configurations or excessive permissions.
2. NHI Security Monitoring:
Continuous Monitoring: ThreatNG provides real-time monitoring of the external attack surface, allowing for immediate detection of suspicious activity related to NHIs.
Dark Web Monitoring: By monitoring the dark web for compromised credentials and leaked data, ThreatNG can identify compromised NHIs and prevent unauthorized access.
Social Media Monitoring: Monitoring social media for mentions of the organization can reveal unintentional exposure of NHI information or social engineering attempts targeting employees who manage NHIs.
3. NHI Access Control and Management:
Reporting and Collaboration: ThreatNG's reporting features and collaboration tools enable security teams to manage and control NHIs effectively.
Policy Management: Customizable risk configuration and scoring allow the organization to define and enforce policies for NHI management, ensuring consistent security practices.
Exception Management: Granular control over what's investigated helps prioritize and focus on critical NHIs and potential threats.
4. Complementary Solutions:
ThreatNG can integrate with and complement other security solutions to enhance NHI security:
Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions: Integrate with IAM systems to provide centralized management of human and nonhuman identities.
Secrets Management solutions: Integrate with secrets management tools to store and manage credentials associated with NHIs securely.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions: Feed ThreatNG's findings into a SIEM for correlation and analysis of security events related to NHIs.
Examples:
Scenario: ThreatNG detects a compromised credential associated with a service account on the dark web.
Action: ThreatNG triggers an alert. The security team immediately suspends the service account, investigates the potential breach, and strengthens authentication measures for NHIs.
Scenario: ThreatNG identifies an unsanctioned cloud service used by a development team.
Action: ThreatNG generates a report for the security team. The team assesses the risk, implements security controls, and updates policies to prevent future unsanctioned cloud usage.
By leveraging its comprehensive features and integrating with complementary solutions, ThreatNG can significantly improve an organization's ability to manage and secure NHIs, reducing the risk of security breaches and ensuring business continuity.
