Stale Identity

Lifecycle Management

A stale identity refers to an account or credential that remains active but is no longer in use. These NHIs often belong to services or associated with users that are outdated but still have access to critical systems.

Stale identities are low-hanging fruit for attackers, as they are less likely to be monitored. If compromised, attackers can leverage these dormant identities to gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems, bypassing active security protocols.

Medium to High, depending on how often identity reviews and cleanups are performed.

Medium, as stale identities can be exploited by attackers for unauthorized access.

Regularly audit and identify stale identities to revoke access or revalidate them. Implement policies for automatic expiration of inactive identities and ensure that access to stale identities is always validated by a Zero Trust framework before any action is taken.

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