Privileged NHIs: Why Service Accounts Are the Next Big Cyber Threat

As organizations embrace automation, cloud computing, and DevOps practices, the reliance on Non-Human Identities (NHIs) has grown exponentially. Among them, Privileged NHIs, such as service accounts, play a crucial role in IT ecosystems. These accounts often hold elevated permissions to access critical systems, databases, and applications. However, their widespread usage and lack of stringent governance make them a prime target for cybercriminals.

This article explores why Privileged NHIs are a rising cyber threat, how attackers exploit them, and strategies to mitigate the risks.

Understanding Privileged NHIs

Privileged NHIs refer to non-human accounts with elevated access rights within an enterprise. These include:

• Service Accounts: Used by applications to interact with other systems or databases.
• APIs and Machine Credentials: Enable communication between services.
• Automation Bots: Execute workflows and administrative tasks.
• Cloud Workloads: Containers, VMs, and serverless functions requiring authentication.

Because these identities often have broad access across critical infrastructure, they pose significant security risks if left unmanaged.

Why Service Accounts Are a Growing Cyber Threat

1. Service Accounts Are Overprivileged

Many service accounts operate with excessive permissions beyond their necessary scope. Organizations often grant Privileged NHIs unrestricted access, leading to security gaps that attackers can exploit.

2. Poor Visibility and Lack of Governance

Unlike human identities, Privileged NHIs are rarely monitored or included in regular security audits. Many service accounts exist in IT environments without clear ownership, making them difficult to track and secure.

3. Hardcoded Credentials and Weak Secrets Management

Service accounts frequently rely on static passwords, API keys, or embedded credentials stored in scripts or configuration files. Attackers can extract these credentials through:

• Code leaks on GitHub
• Compromised CI/CD pipelines
• Misconfigured cloud storage

4. Privilege Escalation and Lateral Movement

Attackers who compromise one Privileged NHI can move laterally within an organization by exploiting interconnected service accounts. This allows:

• Escalation of privileges to gain deeper access.
• Execution of unauthorized operations within critical systems.
• Exfiltration of sensitive data.

5. Orphaned and Unmonitored Service Accounts

Orphaned NHIs (those left active after their intended use) pose a severe security risk. Without periodic audits and decommissioning, these accounts serve as undetected entry points for attackers.

How Attackers Exploit Privileged NHIs

1. Credential Theft

Hackers use phishing, malware, or leaked repositories to obtain service account credentials. Once compromised, they can authenticate as legitimate NHIs without triggering alarms.

2. Misconfigured IAM Policies

Weak Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies allow excessive privileges, making service accounts ideal targets for privilege escalation attacks.

3. API Key Hijacking

Long-lived API tokens, if exposed, allow attackers to control applications, deploy malicious code, and manipulate data.

4. Exploiting Cloud Workloads

Many cloud services assign service accounts to workloads with broad access scopes. Attackers can exploit misconfigurations to gain persistent access to cloud environments.

Best Practices to Secure Privileged NHIs

1. Implement Identity Governance and Discovery

The first step to securing Privileged NHIs is identifying all service accounts within your environment. Utilize:

• Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) tools.
• Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) solutions.
• Privileged Access Management (PAM) to monitor high-risk NHIs.

2. Enforce Least Privilege Access Controls

Limit service account permissions based on the principle of least privilege (PoLP). Ensure each Privileged NHI only has the access necessary to perform its function.

3. Secure Credentials and Eliminate Hardcoded Secrets

• Store secrets in Secrets Management Solutions (e.g., AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault).
• Enforce password rotation and use ephemeral credentials.
• Scan code repositories for hardcoded credentials using automated tools.

4. Implement Strong Authentication Mechanisms

• Require Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) where applicable.
• Utilize OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), or workload identity federation instead of static passwords.

5. Monitor and Audit Service Account Activity

• Continuously log and analyze service account usage.
• Set up anomaly detection for unusual behavior.
• Conduct periodic security reviews to identify orphaned NHIs.

6. Automate NHI Lifecycle Management

Orphaned service accounts should be deactivated and removed promptly. Implement automated workflows for provisioning, auditing, and deprovisioning Privileged NHIs.

7. Extend PAM Controls to NHIs

Privileged Access Management (PAM) should cover both human and non-human accounts:

• Vault service account credentials.
• Enforce just-in-time (JIT) access for high-risk NHIs.
• Record and audit service account sessions.

Conclusion

As automation and cloud adoption increase, Privileged NHIs—particularly service accounts—are emerging as one of the most critical cybersecurity risks. Attackers actively target these accounts due to their excessive privileges, lack of visibility, and poor governance. Organizations must implement robust security measures, including strict IAM policies, secrets management, least privilege enforcement, and continuous monitoring, to mitigate these threats.

By prioritizing Privileged NHI security, enterprises can reduce their attack surface and safeguard their critical infrastructure from advanced cyber threats.