Identity Not Vaulted

Risk Category

Storage

Risk Description

Unvaulted NHIs are a major security risk. Discover how secure vaulting can protect against credential leaks and unauthorized access.

Why It’s a Risk

Non-vaulted identities are more accessible to attackers, particularly if they are stored in insecure environments like plaintext or unmonitored storage systems. The lack of encryption or access controls exacerbates this risk, making it easier for attackers to compromise sensitive credentials.

Medium, particularly in legacy systems or environments without strong vaulting policies.

Medium, as non-vaulted identities are more vulnerable to theft and misuse.

Mitigation Strategy

Ensure that all identities are stored in secure vaults with continuous monitoring, encryption, and strict access controls. Regular audits should be performed to protect any previously non-vaulted identities. However, keep in mind that simply storing NHIs in a vault is not sufficient for complete security. While vaults offer secure storage, they do not monitor how identities are used outside the vault, detect potential misuse, or provide visibility into their entire lifecycle. This lack of oversight can allow compromised NHIs to go undetected. To fully safeguard NHIs, integrate your vault strategy with a comprehensive security approach that includes continuous visibility, behavior monitoring, and context-aware analytics to secure and manage NHIs throughout their lifecycle. Implement Zero Trust validation for all access requests, ensuring that even if identities are exposed, they cannot be used without proper authorization.

Playbooks in Clutch

110