Understanding Machine Identity Management

Introduction to machine identity management

Businesses aren’t just managing people anymore — they’re managing machines. From IoT devices and cloud workloads to APIs, servers, containers, and even the scripts running quietly in the background, the number of machine identities in a typical organization has exploded. To put it in perspective, machine identities outnumber human identities by a staggering 45 to 1.1

But unlike human users who log in with passwords or biometrics, machines authenticate using cryptographic keys, digital certificates, and other specialized mechanisms. This difference might sound technical, but it has big implications. Machines don’t forget their passwords, but if their keys or certificates aren’t properly managed, they can become ticking time bombs. 

Adding to the complexity, machine identities come with wildly different lifespans. Some, like cloud workloads, can spin up and disappear in seconds. Others, like TLS certificates, can stick around for years. This mix of short-lived and long-term identities makes keeping track of them a real challenge.

When machine identities are mismanaged or compromised, the consequences can be severe — think unauthorized access, data breaches, and even major service outages. 

What is machine identity management?

In simple terms, machine identity management is the process of securing and managing the digital credentials that machines use to recognize and trust each other. Just like humans need IDs and passwords to access systems, machines rely on digital certificates, cryptographic keys, and other credentials to authenticate and communicate securely. 

But MIM isn’t just about handing out these credentials — it’s about keeping them in check. MIM covers the entire lifecycle of machine identities: creating them, renewing them before they expire, regularly rotating them to maintain security, and revoking them when they’re no longer needed or compromised.

Machine identity management is essential in today’s cyber landscape, where the explosion of interconnected devices and services creates vast attack surfaces and amplifies cyber risks. When done right, MIM helps organizations block unauthorized access, minimize the risk of costly disruptions, and stay on the right side of cybersecurity regulations. 

Why machine identities matter

The growing attack surface

The global landscape of connected devices is rapidly expanding, with the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices expected to hit 24.5 billion by 2026.2 As businesses increasingly rely on a web of interconnected devices, services, and applications, their digital footprints have grown — and so have the risks. Each of these devices needs authentication, which means more potential vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit. The more devices in play, the more entry points there are for bad actors.

Adversaries are increasingly targeting weak machine identities to execute man-in-the-middle attacks, facilitate data exfiltration, and move laterally within an organization’s cloud and on-premises environment. As the number of connected devices grows, securing every endpoint becomes even more complex — making it clear just how crucial strong machine identity management is.

Common threats to machine identities

Machine identities are essential for securing the systems and services we rely on, but they’re also a frequent target for attackers. Here are some of the most common threats that can put machine identities at risk:

• Certificate mismanagement: Expired or poorly configured certificates can create vulnerabilities and lead to unexpected downtime.
• Unauthorized machine access: If attackers can steal or forge machine credentials, they can easily infiltrate networks and systems.
• Weak cryptographic keys: When encryption isn’t managed properly, brute-force attacks or key theft can quickly compromise security.
• Expired certificates leading to service outages: Gaps in certificate management can be exploited, which can lead to service interruptions and disruptions to an organization’s operations.
• Compromised private keys: Stolen SSH keys or TLS certificates can let attackers impersonate trusted systems and cause havoc.
• Machine identity theft: Attackers can hijack signed software updates or APIs to launch supply chain attacks and further deepen their reach within an organization. 

Key components of machine identity management

Machine identities are a cornerstone of digital security. Understanding the key components of a strong machine identity management strategy is essential, as these elements work together to enable secure authentication and communication between machines, safeguarding infrastructure from potential breaches.

Digital certificates & public key infrastructure (PKI)

Digital certificates are the foundation of machine identity management. They act as the digital IDs that authenticate machine identities and establish secure connections. Without them, there wouldn’t be a trusted way to verify that one machine is who it claims to be. Public key infrastructure (PKI) is what makes it all possible — it’s the framework that governs how these certificates are issued, managed, and revoked. Think of PKI as the security guard that ensures only authorized machines can gain access, and it’s there to revoke permissions when needed.

Certificate lifecycle management

A big part of machine identity management is handling the lifecycle of certificates. Automating processes like issuance, renewal, and revocation is key to reducing human error and preventing security gaps. Manual management leaves too much room for error. Automating these tasks ensures certificates are always up to date and valid, and it also eliminates the chance of expired certificates slipping through the cracks.

Machine-to-machine authentication

Machine-to-machine communication is at the heart of most modern infrastructures, especially with the rise of APIs, cloud workloads, and IoT devices. Ensuring that these machines authenticate properly is vital for securing an organization’s digital estate. Machine-to-machine authentication is most effective when you implement Zero Trust principles, where verification is continuous and not just a one-off check when machines first connect. This keeps the door closed to potential intruders at all times. As machine identities evolve, so does the need for accurate and robust API security. Protocols like OAuth, mTLS, or token-based authentication are crucial in ensuring that only the right machines are allowed access — making your security tighter and more precise.

Benefits of implementing machine identity management

Machine identity management is a strategic move that can transform an organization’s security posture. Implementing a solid MIM strategy can provide significant benefits, such as:

Enhanced security

At the core of machine identity management is the ability to prevent unauthorized access. By securing machine identities, organizations significantly reduce the risk of cyber threats. MIM ensures that every machine in the environment can prove its legitimacy before connecting, which creates a secure foundation for all communications.

Operational efficiency

Managing machine identities can be a time-consuming, error-prone task — especially when dealing with a growing number of certificates and keys. With MIM’s automated certificate issuance, renewal, and revocation, IT and security teams can drastically cut down on downtime and the manual effort required to manage certificates. Expired certificates, a common headache for many organizations, become less of a concern. Instead of scrambling to update or revoke certificates, automation ensures that these processes happen seamlessly behind the scenes.

Compliance & risk reduction

MIM helps organizations meet a variety of regulatory requirements, including PCI-DSS, NIST, ISO 27001, CIS benchmarks, and GDPR. By providing a consistent approach to identity governance, MIM helps organizations demonstrate that systems are secure and that they’re following security best practices. This is particularly critical as cyber regulations continue to evolve, and non-compliance can result in hefty fines and reputational damage.

Best practices for machine identity management

Implementing best practices for machine identity management can significantly enhance security and improve the overall efficiency for managing machine identities. Here's a closer look at the best practices:

Automate certificate management

Automating the management of certificates helps eliminate human error, reduces the risk of misconfigurations, and ensures scalability as the environment grows. Instead of manually tracking renewal dates and certificate lifecycles, automation ensures that certificates are issued, renewed, and revoked without time-consuming manual oversight. This streamlined approach ensures timely renewal and helps prevent costly downtime from expired certificates.

Use strong encryption standards

Cryptographic vulnerabilities are a prime target for attackers, and weak encryption opens the door to a world of security risks. It’s essential to use robust encryption standards to protect machine identities and ensure that all communications are secure. Adopting modern encryption protocols and upholding the highest cryptographic standards fortifies security, closing off potential vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit. 

Monitor and audit machine identities regularly

The best defense is a good offense — and regular monitoring and auditing are vital. By actively keeping an eye on machine identities and analyzing patterns of behavior, security teams can quickly identify any anomalies that might indicate malicious activity. Setting up continuous monitoring ensures that any unauthorized access attempts or unusual behavior are caught early.

Rotate and revoke credentials

Just like human passwords, machine credentials need to be updated regularly to prevent misuse. Credential rotation and revocation are essential practices in machine identity management. If a machine’s credentials are compromised or become outdated, attackers could use them to gain access. Regularly rotating keys and revoking unnecessary or exposed credentials significantly reduces the risk of exploitation.

Manage your machine identities with CrowdStrike

The reality is that attackers don’t always break in; often, they use stolen credentials to simply log in. Weak or unmanaged machine identities provide the perfect opportunity for cybercriminals to exploit legitimate authentication mechanisms and gain access. Organizations that fail to take machine identity management seriously leave themselves open to a host of risks like service outages, data breaches, and regulatory penalties.

As businesses continue to embrace cloud computing and a rapidly growing number of interconnected devices, machine identity management has become a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity. With the right MIM tools and practices in place, like robust certificate management, encryption, and continuous authentication, organizations can build a more secure digital environment that stands strong against cyberattacks. 

CrowdStrike leads the way in machine identity security with CrowdStrike Falcon® Identity Protection, which unifies security for non-human identities—such as service accounts—across both cloud and on-premises environments. Falcon Identity Protection detects non-human identities throughout the identity infrastructure and dynamically applies conditional multi-factor authentication (MFA) based on real-time risk assessments. This comprehensive approach enables organizations to swiftly identify, manage, and secure all non-human identities, eliminating blind spots and strengthening their overall security posture.