Securing NHIs and ISO 27001 Compliance: The Critical Link for Protecting Your Organization’s Information

Securing data and systems goes far beyond protecting human users with usernames and passwords. As organizations increase reliance on automated processes, machine-to-machine communications, and cloud-based services, non-human identities (NHIs) —such as machine identities and service accounts—play a pivotal role in ensuring smooth operations. However, these machine identities also present a security challenge, as they often hold elevated access rights and make an attractive and lucrative target for cybercriminals.

For organizations aiming for ISO 27001 compliance, secure NHI management is not just an optional best practice—it’s a core requirement. ISO 27001, the international standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), sets out clear guidelines for securing information assets, which include not only human access but also machine-to-machine interactions and the systems that use them.

In this blog, we’ll explore why securing non-human identities is essential for ISO 27001 compliance, and how organizations can meet the requirements while also strengthening their security posture.

What Are Non-Human Identities?

NHIs are digital credentials used by systems, applications, and services to authenticate and authorize access without human intervention. These identities are essential in enabling automation and operations throughout modern IT environments. Examples include:

• Service accounts: Used by applications, databases, or other systems to access resources on behalf of the application rather than a user.
• API keys: Tokens that allow systems to communicate with each other, often used for integrating different services or platforms.
• Automation tools: Scripts, bots, or orchestration tools that run scheduled tasks or handle repetitive operations across systems.
• IoT devices: Smart devices or sensors that interact with networks and other devices without human input.

Though these machine identities are essential for operational efficiency, their security is often neglected. A compromised machine identity can provide attackers with broad access to sensitive data, disrupt critical systems, and even result in a full-scale security breach.

ISO 27001 and Its Requirements for Securing Non-Human Identities

ISO 27001 provides a framework for establishing, implementing, and maintaining an Information Security Management System (ISMS) within an organization. While the standard focuses heavily on human access control, its principles are also directly applicable to securing non-human identities, especially in the context of the following areas:

1. Access Control (A.9.1)

One of the fundamental components of ISO 27001 is Access Control.  A.9.1 dictates how access to information and systems should be managed and controlled. This includes restricting access based on the principle of least privilege, ensuring that only the necessary permissions are granted to users and systems, whether human or machine.

For non-human identities, this means:

• Minimizing privileges: Machine identities should be given the minimum necessary permissions to perform their tasks, avoiding over-provisioned accounts.
• Role-based access control (RBAC): Define clear roles for machine identities and ensure that only authorized identities can perform specific tasks.
• Separation of duties: Prevent a single identity from having control over multiple critical processes, reducing the risk of unauthorized actions or insider threats.

By securing non-human identities and ensuring that access to systems and data is tightly controlled, organizations can meet ISO 27001’s requirements for access management.

2. Cryptographic Controls (A.10.1)

ISO 27001 A.10.1 requires organizations to implement cryptographic controls to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data. This applies to both human and non-human identities.

For machine identities, this means:

• Encryption of credentials: Non-human identities, such as API keys, tokens, service account passwords, and certificates, should be encrypted both in transit and at rest to prevent unauthorized access.
• Secure storage of secrets: Use secure vaults (such as a Secrets Management System) to store and retrieve sensitive credentials, ensuring they are not exposed in code or configuration files.

By properly encrypting and securely storing machine credentials, you’ll not only meet the cryptographic controls outlined in ISO 27001 but also enhance overall system integrity and confidentiality.

3. Operational Security (A.12.2)

ISO 27001’s Operational Security controls (A.12) emphasize the need to protect systems and data from threats that can compromise their availability, confidentiality, and integrity. For non-human identities, this means:

• Monitoring and logging: Continuously track and log activities performed by machine identities. This helps detect anomalous behavior, such as an automated process suddenly attempting to access data it shouldn’t, or an IoT device communicating with unauthorized endpoints.
• Regular audits: Regularly audit machine identities for compliance with security policies and ensure that any inactive or orphaned identities are disabled or deleted to reduce risk.
• Change management: Establish a process for reviewing and controlling changes to machine identities, particularly when their privileges or access levels are modified.

By monitoring and auditing the activities of NHIs, organizations can strengthen their operational security posture and comply with ISO 27001’s operational security requirements.

4. Supplier Relationships (A.15)

ISO 27001 also requires organizations to manage the security of supplier relationships (A.15), which includes ensuring that third-party suppliers have appropriate controls in place to protect information assets. For organizations using third-party services or APIs, managing non-human identities becomes crucial in:

• Third-party authentication: Ensure that API keys, tokens, or service accounts used by external suppliers or partners are tightly controlled, with clear access restrictions and expiration dates.
• Vendor risk management: Regularly review third-party access privileges to ensure that suppliers’ machine identities are granted only the minimum necessary access to perform their tasks.

By securing non-human identities that interact with third-party suppliers, organizations can better control the security of external relationships and meet ISO 27001’s requirements for managing supplier risks.

5. Incident Management (A.16)

ISO 27001 emphasizes the importance of having an effective Incident Management process (A.16) to detect, respond to, and recover from security incidents. Non-human identities often play a key role in such incidents, especially when they are compromised.

• Alerting and detection: Set up alerts for unusual activity tied to machine identities, such as unauthorized access attempts, elevation of privileges, or access to sensitive data.
• Response protocols: Establish clear incident response protocols for when a machine identity is compromised, including revoking or rotating credentials, and isolating affected systems.
• Post-incident reviews: After a security incident involving non-human identities, perform a detailed analysis to determine how the breach occurred and what security measures need to be enhanced.

Incorporating machine identities into your incident management process ensures that the full scope of potential threats is considered, and the organization can respond effectively.

Best Practices for Securing Non-Human Identities

To ensure ISO 27001 compliance and reduce the risk posed by non-human identities, organizations should adopt the following best practices:

• Implement strict access policies: Ensure all NHIs follow a strict access control process, based on roles and privileges.
• Use Vaults: Store machine credentials in centralized, encrypted vaults that are protected by strong authentication mechanisms.
• Rotate credentials regularly: Set automated policies for rotating Secrets to reduce the risks of long-lived, exposed keys or passwords.
• Monitor activity and maintain logs: Continuously monitor the actions of non-human identities, looking for signs of unusual activity that could indicate a breach.
• Conduct regular security audits: Periodically review the security posture of non-human identities, ensuring they comply with internal policies and ISO 27001 controls.

Conclusion

Securing non-human identities is an often-overlooked but critical aspect of ISO 27001 compliance. These identities—used by systems, applications, and services—have access to sensitive data and critical infrastructure, making them prime targets for attackers. By following best practices to secure machine identities, organizations can meet the requirements set out in ISO 27001, while also enhancing their overall cybersecurity posture.

As organizations continue to automate processes and integrate systems, securing non-human identities is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. By taking the right steps to protect these machine identities, companies can safeguard their sensitive information, maintain operational integrity, and stay compliant with ISO 27001’s stringent information security standards.