NHI (Non-Human Identity): What It Is and Why It Matters

NHI (Non-Human Identity) refers to a digital identity assigned to systems, services, scripts, or devices that interact with an IT environment without direct human involvement. These include service accounts, APIs, bots, IoT devices, and automated workloads commonly used in DevOps or cloud pipelines. NHIs often outnumber human users and carry elevated privileges, making them high-risk assets if not properly managed.

Unfortunately, many organizations overlook NHIs when designing access policies. These identities may lack credential rotation, share hardcoded passwords, or remain unmonitored for long periods. As a result, attackers target NHIs to bypass detection, exploit automation gaps, or gain lateral access. Protecting NHI accounts is critical for maintaining system integrity, traceability, and compliance with cybersecurity frameworks.

How GateKeeper Proximity Secures NHI (Non-Human Identity) Environments

GateKeeper Proximity enhances NHI (Non-Human Identity) security by placing identity-linked access controls at the human-machine interface. While NHIs run automated tasks, humans still need to configure or supervise them. GateKeeper ensures only authorized staff with a proximity token can access or modify systems that interact with NHIs. The system locks automatically when the user leaves, blocking unauthorized activity.

GateKeeper supports multi-factor and proximity-based authentication, ensuring human-NHI interactions are tightly controlled and identity-specific. For instance, in shared environments or unmanaged machines, GateKeeper prevents unattended sessions from exposing critical NHI-linked functions.

All access events are logged in GateKeeper Hub, creating a transparent audit trail for any human-triggered actions that affect NHIs. This supports compliance with standards and greatly reduces the risk of insider misuse or credential compromise.