Reevaluating Identity in Non-Human Agents

As agentic artificial intelligence systems and autonomous bots increasingly manage cross-system activities, traditional multifactor authentication (MFA) becomes a less effective defense mechanism. Non-human identities frequently evade security controls intended for humans, operating via static credentials and undefined ownership, which leads to exploitable security gaps.

Despite advancements in security frameworks to account for non-human agents, existing access tools have not kept pace. Cybersecurity experts caution that depending on MFA as a catch-all solution can undermine even the most robust zero trust strategies. Conventional MFA systems are designed based on human behaviors, focusing on aspects like knowledge, possession, or inherent characteristics. “Bots operate without a user interface,” explained Reuben Athaide, global head of cybersecurity assessment at Standard Chartered. “They perform tasks programmatically, without any human intervention to confirm actions like push notifications.”

Furthermore, many service accounts bypass MFA entirely, instead relying on static, long-lasting credentials. Such credentials often remain quietly embedded in an organization’s infrastructure, resulting in risks that businesses tend to overlook. Rajdeep Ghosh, Chief Technology Officer at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, pointed out that this issue arises from the perspective organizations hold regarding bots. “Bots are often viewed as technical components, not as distinct identities. This perspective fosters the reliance on static credentials and implicit trust, which is perilous in today’s zero trust environment.”

Governance difficulties concerning non-human identities extend beyond mere authentication, as these entities do not ‘leave’ when a project concludes or when an employee departs. The absence of lifecycle policies such as expiration, ownership, or de-provisioning allows bots to persist indefinitely, often with elevated permissions. “Privilege creep is a genuine risk,” Ghosh noted. For instance, a bot created to handle invoice processing might gain access to databases or customer personally identifiable information (PII) without undergoing formal scrutiny. In highly regulated fields like healthcare and finance, an unmonitored bot can create significant compliance challenges.

Athaide highlighted the urgent need to govern these bots similarly to privileged human identities, with complete audit trails, automated de-provisioning, and enhanced access controls. He argues that rather than adapting traditional human-centric MFA for machine workflows, the industry must pivot toward alternatives that are designed for automation. This approach includes machine-native identity frameworks that build authentication around workload contexts, cryptographic trust, and runtime signals, rather than traditional push notifications or one-time passwords (OTPs). Shakeel Khan, Regional Vice President at Okta India, emphasized that AI agents are increasingly centralizing connections across applications, automating tasks, and accessing sensitive enterprise data.

The future vision requires centralized identity layers that enforce short-lived, context-aware access tokens that conform to enterprise policies. Innovations such as Cross App Access and Auth for GenAI are already demonstrating this capability by enabling secure agent-to-agent authentication across platforms like Gmail and Slack. Emerging solutions, including workload identity federation exemplified in AWS IAM Roles Anywhere or Azure Managed Identity, tie identity to runtime context instead of static credentials. Complementary technologies, such as mutual TLS, SPIFFE, and dynamic secret rotation, enhance secure authentication without human involvement.

Experts also highlight the importance of behavior analytics and identity threat detection, which constantly assess whether a bot’s activities align with expected behaviors. Dev Wijewardane, Field CTO at WSO2, cautioned that the battle extends beyond human versus bot to encompass good bots versus bad bots, and normal bot behavior versus abnormal activity. “For shared bots, it’s crucial to ensure that role isolation is preserved, preventing a bot designated for one department from unintentionally or maliciously acting on behalf of another,” Wijewardane stated. Consistent role isolation, unique identifiers for each bot instance, and strict credential rotation are essential practices in this regard.

The Path Forward: Embracing Multi-Assertion Authentication

Experts predict that multi-assertion authentication, which relies on cryptographic attestation, behavior analytics, and real-time policy governance, will define the future of managing non-human identities. Under this model, bots will be required to continuously validate their access justifications. As businesses scale their AI and automation efforts, reliance on outdated human-centric identity models could amplify security risks. The transition to zero trust frameworks—where bots are treated not as mere technical artifacts but as governed identities—is imperative for future security resilience.

Khan reinforced this perspective by asserting that bots should be managed similarly to privileged human identities, equipped with comprehensive audit trails, automated de-provisioning, and intricate access controls.