The silent security threat: Why machine identities are your biggest blind spot

In today’s hyper-connected world, businesses rely on a growing number of non-human accounts—service accounts, bots/RPAs, and other non-human accounts—to drive their operations. But what happens when managing these machine identities becomes more complex than anticipated? A recent survey, sponsored by SailPoint and conducted by Dimensional Research, sheds light on the challenges organizations are facing, and the findings are concerning.

The growing machine identity challenge

According to the survey, 69% of companies surveyed now manage more machine identities than human ones, and for nearly half, that number is 10 times higher. As businesses scale, so do the number of machine identities they must control. What’s alarming is that 72% of identity professionals surveyed find machine identities more difficult to manage than human identities, citing poor internal processes, manual workflows, and a lack of adequate tools as the primary culprits.

Ghosts in the machine: The hidden risks of manual processes

Much like a ghost, a machine identity can linger long after its purpose is served. 66% of respondents confirmed that machine identities require more manual steps to manage than human identities, which not only increases labor costs but also introduces significant risk. With 88% of survey participants expressing concerns that deleting a machine identity could break something critical, many organizations choose to let these digital specters remain. This burdens systems with inactive, unneeded identities that could be exploited at any moment.

Machine identities: A growing audit and compliance problem

Ghosts don’t just create fear—they also wreak havoc. The survey reveals that 59% of companies surveyed report more difficulty in auditing machine identities than employee identities. With 60% of companies surveyed acknowledging compliance issues tied to machine identities, the unseen forces of mismanaged identities are more dangerous than they appear.

One of the most unsettling findings is the lack of visibility into machine identities. Only 38% of companies surveyed reported having a real-time list of their active machine identities, while 63% rely on manual processes to track inactive ones. This blind spot has a direct impact on compliance, and organizations without automated governance tools are left haunted by the uncertainty of what’s really happening within their network.

Security risks outpace human identities

The lack of oversight on machine identities doesn’t just cause operational headaches—it poses a serious security threat. 60% of survey participants admitted that machine identities present a greater security risk than human identities, with 57% acknowledging inappropriate access being granted to a machine identity at some point. These silent actors—unseen and unmanaged—become the perfect opportunity for cyberattacks.

Much like ghosts, these machine identities lurk in the shadows, opening the door for catastrophic breaches that can severely damage an organization’s reputation and bottom line.

Why you need to read the full report

The survey makes it clear: companies are being haunted by invisible threats, struggling to keep up with the complexity of managing machine identities. From manual processes and audit failures to increased security risks, the findings reveal a critical need for organizations to adopt automated solutions that provide real-time visibility, ownership assignment, and lifecycle management for these ghostly machine identities.

To dive deeper into these insights, read the full survey to access the full report and discover how your organization can finally exorcise these digital ghosts and regain control of your network.

SailPoint Machine Identity Security: Your solution for the future

SailPoint’s Machine Identity Security solution is designed to address the challenges highlighted in this report. By automating the discovery, classification, assignment, and certification of machine identities—whether service accounts, bots, or RPAs—SailPoint helps provide the comprehensive visibility and governance that today’s enterprise organizations need.

With SailPoint, you can reduce manual processes, support compliance, and mitigate security risks across your entire machine identity landscape. Ready to take control of your machine accounts?

Learn more about SailPoint Machine Identity Security today and discover how it can help protect your organization in an evolving digital world.