As organizations embrace digital transformation, the cybersecurity landscape has evolved dramatically. What began as a battle against 'secret sprawl'—the uncontrolled spread of sensitive information—has now grown into a larger challenge: managing the proliferation of Non-Human Identities (NHIs). The rise of NHIs across cloud platforms, SaaS applications, and on-premises systems demands a rethinking of security strategies. This blog explores the journey from secret sprawl to NHI sprawl and the critical importance of adapting to this new reality.
The Evolution of Security Challenges: From Secret Sprawl to Vaults
In the early days of enterprise IT, the primary security concern was 'secret sprawl.' Secrets like passwords and API keys were scattered across various systems without centralized management, leading to an increased risk of exposure and misuse. To address this issue, organizations adopted vaults to centralize and secure these secrets. Vaults provided a safer, more manageable way to handle sensitive information, reducing the risk by ensuring that secrets were stored in a secure, centralized location.
However, as the digital ecosystem expanded, the complexity of managing these secrets grew. The introduction of vaults was a significant step forward, but it marked only the beginning of new challenges.
The Expansion of the Digital Ecosystem: The Proliferation of NHIs
With the rapid growth of digital environments, Non-Human Identities (NHIs) have become a critical component of enterprise operations. NHIs include tokens, API keys, service accounts, and other credentials used by machines, applications, and automated processes to authenticate and perform tasks. These identities now operate across diverse environments—whether in the cloud, within SaaS applications, or on-premises systems.
This proliferation of NHIs has led to what can be termed 'NHI sprawl.' Just as secret sprawl once plagued enterprises, organizations now face the challenge of managing a growing number of NHIs scattered across various platforms, terrains, and landscapes. Unlike human identities, which are typically managed within well-defined governance frameworks, NHIs often lack centralized oversight, making their security and management more complex.
The Error of Focusing Solely on Secrets
While vaults were instrumental in addressing secret sprawl, focusing exclusively on the secure storage of secrets—while neglecting the broader context of NHIs—can undermine an organization’s overall security posture. Security strategies must extend beyond storage to include comprehensive management of NHIs throughout their lifecycle.
Vaults are a critical foundation of secure infrastructure, but they are just one part of your security wall. True security requires continuous monitoring, context-aware insights, immediate detection of anomalies, and proactive protections across all environments where NHIs operate. Focusing solely on the storage aspect without addressing how these identities are used, who is using them, and under what circumstances leaves a significant gap in your security strategy.
Importance of Realizing the New Reality: Comprehensive NHI Security
The transition from secret sprawl to NHI sprawl requires a fundamental shift in how organizations approach security. Securing and managing NHIs demands a comprehensive strategy—one that goes beyond secure storage to include visibility, governance, posture management, robust detection and response mechanisms, and proactive protections.
Organizations should integrate their vault strategy with a broader NHI security program. Only by embracing this holistic approach can they ensure that all aspects of NHI security are addressed—from the moment an identity is created, through its active use, to its eventual retirement.