Demystifying Ephemeral Identities: Why They’re the Future of NHI Security

While the concept of a secretless approach is widely recognized for its potential, adopting ephemeral identities can feel complex for many security teams. This learning curve may explain their gradual adoption, despite the significant benefits they offer. In this blog, we’ll explore what ephemeral identities are, their critical role in modern security, their alignment with the Zero Trust framework, and practical steps to implement them effectively.

What Are Ephemeral Identities?

Ephemeral identities are time-bound credentials that expire after completing a specific task or within a set timeframe. Unlike static credentials, which remain valid until explicitly rotated or revoked, ephemeral identities dynamically mitigate risks by rendering compromised credentials useless within minutes.

Ephemeral credentials are the “new cool kid on the block”, and while being fairly new in the increased chatter in the space of NHIs, they have actually existed for quite some time, and are supported across different technologies in the tech landscape. Examples include:

• On-Premise
  • In Active Directory domains, the ephemeral approach would be using Group-Managed Service Accounts (abbreviated as gMSA)
• SaaS
  • OIDC leverages an ephemeral approach and an example of that is using OIDC applications in Okta.
• Cloud
  • AWS IAM Roles leverage temporary credentials for AWS resources, expiring after the session.
  • Azure Managed Identities: Automated token renewal for seamless, secretless authentication.
  • GCP Service Accounts: Temporary tokens leveraging OAuth2 for time-bound access.

It’s important to note that not all NHIs can be ephemeral, and even those that can be may not always operate that way due to specific use cases or system constraints. Some applications, legacy systems, or third-party integrations may require static credentials, making full adoption of ephemeral identities impractical in certain environments. Additionally, some workloads rely on long-lived credentials for operational continuity, automated processes, or interoperability with external systems. This means that while ephemeral identities significantly enhance security, organizations still need robust monitoring, risk management, and Zero Trust protection for NHIs that cannot be ephemeral.

Why Ephemeral Identities Matter: A Home Security Analogy

Think about your home security. You want to ensure that only people you know and trust, such as family or guests, can enter, while verifying that no unauthorized individuals - like burglars or intruders - can get in.

Traditional Approach: Key Rotation

One way to improve security might be to change your locks every few weeks. While this could add some protection, it’s inconvenient, disruptive, and doesn’t stop someone from misusing a stolen key.

In cybersecurity, this is akin to secret rotation. While it might seem effective, it often creates operational overhead, ties security teams to IT and engineering for implementation, and—most critically—can foster a false sense of security in a world where attackers move at lightning speed.

Pro Tip: Check out our research exposing the flaws of secret rotation and see how attackers exploit secrets faster than any scheduled rotation.

If a break-in does occur, replacing the locks is essential. Similarly, in the cyber world, credentials should only be revoked and replaced when necessary, not as a routine measure. This approach aligns with NIST Digital Identity Guidelines, which discourage frequent password changes unless a compromise has occurred.

A Smarter Approach: Continuous Validation

Now, imagine verifying every person at your door before they enter—every time. This continuous validation is akin to the Zero Trust framework, where access is dynamically verified to ensure that even if an NHI is compromised, it cannot be exploited.

Now, consider a guest staying for a week. Instead of replacing locks after they are leaving, wouldn’t it be easier to give them a temporary key that automatically deactivates after they leave?

Scaling Up: The Hotel Analogy

Consider running a hotel with hundreds of guests. Instead of replacing locks every time a guest checks out, you’d provide them with a temporary key that automatically deactivates upon their departure. For enterprises managing thousands of NHIs, ephemeral identities work the same way.

Ephemeral identities replace long-lived credentials with short-lived, dynamically managed ones that expire automatically after use. They minimize risks, simplify operations, and align with modern Zero Trust principles, making them essential for securing today’s complex environments.

Key Benefits of Ephemeral Identities

1. Enhanced Security:
   Short-lived credentials minimize exposure, even if leaked. Ephemeral identities align with Zero Trust principles by dynamically verifying access and reducing the attack surface.
2. Simplified Operations:
   Auto-expiring credentials eliminate the need for manual secret rotation, revocation, or management. Policies drive access, streamlining workflows and reducing errors.
3. Better Scalability:
   IAM role updates adapt to dynamic cloud environments, making ephemeral identities ideal for multi-cloud setups.

Ephemeral vs. Static Identities: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Let’s break down how ephemeral identities compare to static credentials in critical areas of security and operations:

Example: AWS IAM Roles vs. Access Keys

Static Access Keys: Long-lived IAM Access Keys, even when stored securely (e.g., in environment variables), remain active until manually revoked or rotated, creating a persistent risk if exposed.

Ephemeral IAM Roles: AWS IAM roles issue temporary credentials valid for a limited time (e.g., one hour). These credentials are dynamically generated and expire automatically, drastically reducing the risk window. If exposed, they become useless after expiration.

How it works? Basically, when a resource in one AWS account (Like EC2, Lambda Function, ECS Task, etc) wants to have access to a resource on another account it can “Assume” a role instead of using a long-lived Access Key.

How to Transition to IAM Roles

1. Create an IAM role with permissions matching the original access key’s usage.
2. Update applications to use the STS AssumeRole API for temporary credentials.
3. Deactivate and delete the old access keys, replacing them with dynamically generated short-lived credentials.

Pro Tip: Learn more about configuring IAM roles in our step-by-step guide on How Assuming a Role Works.

Industry Standards Supporting Ephemeral Identities

Ephemeral identities align closely with emerging industry standards like SPIFFE and WIMSE, which promote secure, dynamic, and scalable identity management for workloads and applications. Why does it matter? adopting those not only streamlines the implementation of ephemeral identities but also ensures interoperability, scalability, and compliance with best practices.

SPIFFE: A Framework for Secure Workload Identity

SPIFFE (Secure Production Identity Framework for Everyone) is an open standard that defines a robust framework for issuing, managing, and authenticating identities in dynamic environments. At its core, SPIFFE introduces SPIFFE IDs—unique workload identities that replace static credentials with cryptographically verified identities issued by a SPIRE server (SPIFFE Runtime Environment).

Key benefits of SPIFFE include:

• Zero Trust Alignment: SPIFFE IDs enable continuous validation of workload identities, supporting ephemeral principles.
• Cross-Platform Scalability: SPIFFE works across Kubernetes, VMs, and bare-metal systems, making it ideal for hybrid and multi-cloud architectures.
• Simplified Identity Management: Dynamic, short-lived certificates replace long-lived secrets, reducing the attack surface.

How It Fits: Organizations adopting ephemeral identities can integrate SPIFFE to enforce strong NHI management, seamlessly embedding ephemeral principles into their Zero Trust strategies.

WIMSE: Standardizing Workload Identity

WIMSE (Workload Identity Management Standards and Extensions) is another initiative aimed at standardizing workload identity processes, particularly in cloud-native environments. By defining how identities should be provisioned, validated, and expired, WIMSE provides a blueprint for integrating ephemeral identities into enterprise ecosystems.

Key aspects of WIMSE:

• Ephemeral Credential Focus: Emphasizes short-lived credentials that align with ephemeral identity principles.
• Policy-Driven Access: Advocates for granular, policy-based controls for workload interactions.
• Interoperability: Designed to work seamlessly across cloud providers, supporting federated and hybrid environments.

How It Fits: WIMSE helps enterprises transition to ephemeral identities by providing standards-based guidelines for securely managing workload identities at scale.

Transitioning to Ephemeral Identities

Adopting ephemeral identities doesn’t have to be a daunting process. Here’s how to get started:

1. Assess Your Environment: Begin by inventorying all static credentials and pinpointing high-risk areas. Leverage solutions like Clutch for complete visibility and contextualized inventory to uncover hidden vulnerabilities.
2. Leverage Cloud-Native Tools: Implement ephemeral access using tools such as AWS IAM Roles, Azure Managed Identities, or GCP Workload Identity Federation. These cloud-native solutions dynamically generate short-lived credentials, reducing reliance on static secrets.
3. Adopt Zero Trust Principles: Continuously verify every NHI interaction with dynamic, policy-driven access controls. This ensures only authorized entities gain access, aligning security with your organization’s evolving needs. Discover how Clutch can assist in adopting this framework.

Ephemeral identities not only bolster security but also simplify operations and enhance scalability. Ready to make the shift? Learn more about ephemeral identities and their impact in our NHI Index.

Conclusion

Ephemeral identities are transforming Non-Human Identity security by replacing static, long-lived credentials with short-lived, dynamically managed ones. Unlike traditional key rotation, which is cumbersome and often ineffective, ephemeral identities reduce risk, enhance agility, and align with Zero Trust principles by ensuring credentials expire automatically after use.

By adopting cloud-native solutions like AWS IAM Roles, Azure Managed Identities, and GCP Workload Identity Federation, organizations can eliminate manual key management, reduce operational overhead, improve compliance and enhance security. Industry standards like SPIFFE and WIMSE further reinforce the shift toward dynamic, policy-driven identity management.

While not all NHIs can be ephemeral, and even those that can may not always operate that way due to specific use cases or system constraints, security teams should assess their credential landscape and adopt ephemeral access tools wherever possible. When paired with additional Zero Trust mechanisms, such as continuous access validation, ephemeral identities not only strengthen security but also empower security teams with greater independence and control.

The future of NHI security is ephemeral and Zero Trust-driven. Are you ready to make the shift? Let’s talk!