2025 State of Machine Identity Security Report
Machine identities significantly outnumber human identities, creating a pressing need for dedicated security programs.
Organizations are leaning hard into machine identity security—but are they doing enough?
As teams work to prepare for shorter certificate lifespans, authenticate cloud native workloads, safeguard AI models and ready themselves for quantum computing, they recognize that machine identity security must be a cornerstone of their enterprise security strategy.
However, despite this level of critical understanding, only 23% admit they prioritize securing machine identities exclusively, which can leave potential gaps for cybercriminals to exploit.
How does your company’s program measure up? Read our 2025 report to explore how you can stay ahead of the ever-evolving complexities of machine identity security.
Exponential growth
79% of organizations anticipate a spike in machine identities, by as much as 150%.
Rising risks
50% have reported breaches linked to compromised machine identities, with API keys and TLS certificates leading as primary threat vectors.
Incohesive strategies
42% of respondents say they lack a unified approach to securing machine identities.
By the Numbers
Your snapshot of actionable insights. Read the report today for full details.
79%
Expect the number of machine identities to grow over the next year
81%
Believe machine identity security is a vital element of securing AI systems
50%
Reported security breaches linked to compromised machine identities
77%
Say every undiscovered machine identity is a potential point of compromise
72%
Had at least one certificate-related outage in the past year
74%
Say attackers are zeroing in on machine identities in cloud native and developer environments
Machine identity growth far outpaces that of human identities
The volume and variety of modern machine identity inventories cannot be understated. What’s more, with challenges like safeguarding cloud native workloads and rapidly growing AI adoption—including agentic AI—unique identities, authentication and authorization are more essential than ever.
Complexity drives outages, breaches and risk
Over 70% of organizations experienced at least one certificate-related outage in the past year. On top of that, security leaders are concerned with the impending shift to 47-day TLS certificate lifespans, potential CA distrust events and quantum computing. What’s causing the most complexity? A lack of machine identity visibility, inadequate automation and fragmented ownership.
Threat actors are laser-focused on machine identities
50% of organizations reported breaches tied to compromised machine identities, with assets like API keys, TLS certificates and more being increasingly targeted as entry points for attacks. By exploiting authentication weaknesses or expired credentials, bad actors can move laterally within networks, access sensitive data and disrupt critical operations.
Machine identities of all kinds will continue to skyrocket over the next year, bringing not only greater complexity but also increased risks. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting machine identities – from API keys to code signing certificates – to exploit vulnerabilities, compromise systems and disrupt critical infrastructure, leaving even the most advanced businesses dangerously exposed.”
Kurt Sand, GM of Machine Identity Security at CyberArk
About this Report
The 2025 State of Machine Identity Security Report is based on an in-depth survey of 1,200 security leaders from the USA, UK, Australia, France, Germany and Singapore. Covering multiple industries, these findings reflect key trends and pain points shaping today’s machine identity security programs.
What factors are leading to a mass proliferation of machine identities?
What are today’s greatest machine identity concerns and challenges?
Which teams are typically responsible for securing machine identities?
What machine identity types are most vulnerable to compromise?
What specific areas of machine identity security are teams planning to focus on most in 2025?
What is the future of machine identity security relative to AI, quantum and cloud native development?
Stay ahead of emerging threats. Download your copy today.
Machine identity security isn’t just another item on your security checklist. It’s your front-line defense. Read the 2025 State of Machine Identity Security Report now to stay ahead.
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