Introduction to Nonhuman Identities
Securing your environment and code from mistakes and malice takes real effort and dedication. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) details a number of risks present in agentic AI systems, including the risk of credential leaks, user impersonation, and elevation of privilege. These risks can result in extreme damage to your environments, including denial of service, data loss, or data leaks, which can do untold financial and reputational damage.
The identity problem is a critical issue in modern development, where identities aren't just people, but also agents, scripts, and third-party tools that act on your behalf. To secure these nonhuman identities, you need to manage their entire lifecycle, ensuring their credentials and tokens aren't leaked, and narrowing their permissions using granular RBAC.
Understanding Identity, Principals, Credentials, and Policies
To secure the Internet in an era of autonomous agents, we have to rethink how we handle identity. Whether a request comes from a human developer or an AI agent, every interaction with an API relies on three core pillars: the Principal, the Credential, and the Policy. The Principal is the identity itself, the who, which might be you logging in via OAuth or a background agent using an API token to deploy code.
The Credential is the proof of that identity, and in this world, your API token is your passport. If it's stolen or leaked, anyone can wear your identity. The Policy defines what that identity is allowed to do, ensuring that even a verified identity can only access the resources it is authorized to access.
Securing Nonhuman Identities with Automated Revocation and Scoped Permissions
To secure nonhuman identities, you need to implement automated revocation and scoped permissions. This involves managing the lifecycle of nonhuman identities, including creating, managing, and revoking their credentials and tokens. You also need to narrow their permissions using granular RBAC, ensuring that they only have access to the resources they need to perform their tasks.
Implementing Scannable Tokens and OAuth Visibility
To protect your credentials, you can implement scannable tokens that can be detected and revoked in case of a security breach. You can also use OAuth visibility to manage your principals and resources, ensuring that you have visibility into who is accessing your resources and what actions they are performing.
Best Practices for Securing Nonhuman Identities
To secure nonhuman identities, you should follow best practices such as implementing automated revocation and scoped permissions, using scannable tokens and OAuth visibility, and managing the lifecycle of nonhuman identities. You should also monitor your environment for security breaches and respond quickly in case of a breach. By following these best practices, you can protect your nonhuman identities and prevent security breaches.