2025 State of Machine Identity Security Report

Machine identity security is rapidly becoming one of the most critical aspects of modern cybersecurity strategies. While CISOs and IT leaders recognize its importance, many are still struggling to build a cohesive approach to protect these digital credentials. Machine identities play a unique and foundational role in both modern and traditional systems, connecting devices, applications, APIs and cloud native technologies securely. However, as their use continues to expand, so does the complexity of managing them effectively.

Machine identities now outnumber human identities by an overwhelming margin. This sheer scale is driven by several factors, including the rise of cloud native technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and the shrinking lifespans of machine credentials in today’s fast-paced development cycles. Each instance requires a unique identity to authenticate and communicate securely, adding to the already staggering growth in machine identities—particularly as organizations begin to embrace agentic AI.

At the same time, malicious actors have taken notice, and cybercriminals are targeting machine identities as entry points for attacks. And machine identity attacks are growing. By exploiting weaknesses in authentication systems or leveraging expired or mismanaged credentials, attackers can move laterally within networks, access sensitive data and disrupt critical operations. The increasing reliance on machine identities magnifies their risks, making them a prime focus for threat actors seeking to undermine enterprise security.

To better understand how these challenges are impacting today’s enterprise security, we surveyed 1,200 security leaders across the USA, UK, Australia, France, Germany and Singapore. Read on to learn the findings.