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These systems need to interact securely and efficiently without constant human oversight, which is where non-human identities (NHIs) come in. NHIs

including application secrets, API keys, service accounts, and OAuth tokens - have exploded in recent years, thanks to an ever-expanding array of apps and services that must work together and identify one another on the fly. In some enterprises, NHIs now outnumber human identities by as much as 50-to-1.

However, NHIs introduce unique risks and management challenges that have security leaders on high alert. Forty-six percent of organizations have experienced compromises of NHI accounts or credentials over the past year, and another 26% suspect they have, according to a recent report from Enterprise Strategy Group.