Source URL: https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/blog/2024/09/18/current-challenges-with-managing-permissions-and-api-keys
Source: CSA
Title: Challenges with Managing Permissions and API Keys
Feedly Summary:
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The text discusses a recent survey revealing significant security challenges organizations face in managing permissions and API keys as non-human identities. Notably, only a fraction employ formal processes for offboarding and rotating API keys, leading to potential vulnerabilities. This highlights the need for improved, automated management practices to enhance security posture.
Detailed Description:
The text highlights alarming findings from a recent Cybersecurity and Privacy Association (CSA) survey that addresses the difficulties organizations experience with managing permissions for non-human identities (NHIs), particularly focusing on API keys. The results indicate a pervasive lack of formal processes and proactive measures in place to secure these identities, revealing critical gaps in security protocols.
Key insights include:
– **Understanding NHI**:
– Non-human identities (NHIs) refer to digital entities used for machine-to-machine interactions, such as API keys. They pose unique security challenges often neglected by conventional Identity and Access Management (IAM) frameworks.
– **Survey Findings**:
– Conducted in June 2024 with 818 IT and security professionals, the survey uncovered several key statistics:
– Only **20%** of organizations have formal processes for offboarding and revoking API keys.
– A mere **16%** have automated processes for rotating or rolling back API keys.
– **40%** of organizations take weeks or more to offboard API keys, indicating inefficiencies that leave systems vulnerable.
– **Reactive vs. Proactive Management**:
– Organizations generally engage in reactive permission reviews, with only **22%** performing annual reviews and **19%** conducting random checks. This lack of continuous monitoring exposes organizations to elevated security risks due to oversights.
– CSA emphasizes a move to **continuous monitoring and automated management** as essential measures for timely risk identification and mitigation.
– **Difficulties with Existing Service Accounts**:
– Organizations struggle more with retroactive permission management. **22%** report high difficulty in managing permissions on existing accounts compared to only **9%** for new accounts, which points to significant tech debt that complicates security efforts.
– **Implications for Security Posture**:
– The failure to establish formal procedures for managing API keys increases the attack surface and can lead to prolonged exposure to threats. Without automated processes, manual management risks human error and inefficiency in security practices.
The text underscores the urgent need for organizations to adopt structured, automated solutions for NHI management, especially concerning API keys. This is critical for enhancing their overall security measures and reducing the potential for breaches. The findings present a call to action for IT and security professionals to rethink existing practices and invest in more robust management systems to safeguard their digital identities.
The CSA’s report serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding these gaps and offers recommendations for improving NHI security, which is essential for maintaining a resilient security posture in today’s increasingly complex digital environment.