The Hidden Security Risks of Non-Human Identities in AI Adoption
A new survey reveals that while most organizations believe they are prepared for AI adoption, nearly half lack the governance necessary to manage the persistent, unmonitored access granted to non-human identities and AI agents.
Organizations are increasingly exposing themselves to significant security risks by granting persistent, unmonitored access to non-human identities (NHIs) and AI agents, according to a recent survey by Delinea Help Net Security. While 87% of organizations claim to be prepared for AI adoption, nearly half—46%—admit that their current governance frameworks for these identities are deficient, creating a dangerous gap between perceived security and operational reality Help Net Security.
The core of the issue lies in the rapid, autonomous nature of modern AI agents and automated workflows, which often operate outside the scope of legacy identity and access management (IAM) systems. Unlike traditional service accounts, these NHIs can make independent decisions and request elevated privileges, often bypassing standard provisioning processes. The survey highlights that 53% of organizations frequently encounter "shadow AI"—unsanctioned tools accessing corporate systems—which remains largely invisible to security teams Help Net Security.
This "NHI double standard" is driven by intense business pressure to prioritize deployment speed over security. Approximately 90% of organizations report pressure to relax access controls to facilitate AI-driven automation, and fewer than one-third of these organizations consistently enforce security requirements when they conflict with business timelines Help Net Security. Consequently, 74% of organizations maintain standing access for these identities to ensure uptime, with 59% claiming they lack viable alternatives to persistent credentials Help Net Security.
The resulting visibility gap is profound. While 82% of organizations express confidence in their ability to discover NHIs within production environments, fewer than 33% actually validate the activity of these agents in real-time Help Net Security. This lack of oversight means that many organizations are unknowingly operating with broad, persistent administrative access across critical systems, lacking both an audit trail and a clear owner for these non-human entities Help Net Security.
To address these risks, experts suggest a two-step approach: first, establishing a comprehensive inventory of all NHIs, including shadow AI, to eliminate blind spots; and second, moving toward a "zero standing privilege" model Help Net Security. By transitioning from long-lived credentials to just-in-time and ephemeral access, organizations can begin to align their security posture with the dynamic, high-velocity nature of AI-driven environments Help Net Security.
This trend highlights a broader pattern in enterprise security where the rapid adoption of transformative technology outpaces the development of necessary governance controls. As AI agents become more deeply integrated into business workflows, the ability to monitor and restrict non-human access will likely become a primary focus for security teams attempting to prevent unauthorized lateral movement and data exfiltration.