The Surprising Truth About Identity Security Confidence
HelpNet Security, Monday, August 4th, 2025
Organizations most confident in their identity security are often the least prepared, according to a new report from BeyondID. The study reveals a troubling gap between what organizations believe about their identity security programs and how they actually behave. Surprisingly, those expressing the highest confidence are adopting fewer best practices than their more cautious peers.
While 74% of IT decision-makers rate their identity posture as 'Established' or 'Advanced,' their security practices paint a different picture:
- Organizations self-identifying as 'Advanced' follow only 4.7 out of 12 best practices - fewer than their 'Established' peers, who follow 5.1
- Only 60% enforce MFA for all users - a basic security measure
- A mere 40% conduct regular user access reviews, leaving them vulnerable to unnecessary or outdated permissions
- Just 27% enforce a least privilege access model, despite it being a fundamental security practice
- Less than 3 in 10 organizations allocate more than 20% of their cybersecurity budget to identity security
'The confidence many organizations express simply isn't backed by operational rigor,' said Arun Shrestha, CEO of BeyondID. 'What we're seeing is systemic overconfidence; leaders believe they're prepared, but fail to enforce the foundational controls that would actually keep them secure.'