KEY CONCEPTS RELATED TO Workload iam

Non-Human Identity Terms: A to Z Glossary

Looking for a straightforward rundown of non-human workload IAM-related terms, from the basic to the advanced? You’re in the right place. We’ve compiled a glossary that covers everything related to secure systems design, identity management, and data protection – from “A”ccess control to “Z”ero Trust.

Whether you’re looking to mature your workload IAM strategy or just need a quick reference or refresher, this glossary is here to make sure you have the precise terminology at your fingertips.

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Credential Harvesting

NHI security threats

A technique used by attackers to collect or steal credentials such as passwords, API keys, or access tokens. This can be done through phishing, malware, exposed secrets, or other attack vectors. In workload IAM, credential harvesting poses a major risk, as compromised non-human identities can be used for unauthorized access and lateral movement.

Credential Provider

IAM concepts

A Credential Provider is responsible for securely issuing and managing short-lived credentials for workloads. This approach minimizes the risks associated with long-lived credentials and ensures that access to resources is granted only when needed, based on workload identity. Credential Provider can also store long-lived credentials such as API keys.

Daemon Identity

Identity types

An identity associated with a background process or service running on a computer system, often used for system maintenance, monitoring, or other administrative tasks. Daemon identities may have limited access rights to ensure system security.

Deep Learning

AI/MCP Concepts

A subfield of ML that uses Artificial Neural Networks with multiple layers (deep neural networks) to process complex data and solve more intricate problems, often mimicking the brain’s structure.

Digital Certificate

Identity types

A digital document used to certify the authenticity of a machine or entity, typically issued by a trusted certificate authority (CA).

Dynamic Secrets

IAM concepts

Temporary credentials or keys generated on-demand by secrets managers in response to authentication requests. Dynamic secrets have a limited lifespan and are automatically revoked or rotated after use, reducing the risk of exposure if compromised.

Encryption

Security concepts

The process of encoding data in such a way that only authorized parties can access and decrypt it. Password managers and vaults use encryption to protect stored passwords and sensitive information, ensuring confidentiality and data security.

Federated Identity

IAM concepts

A mechanism that enables users to access multiple systems or services using a single set of credentials, typically managed by an identity provider (IdP). Federated identity allows for seamless authentication and authorization across different domains or organizations.

Generative AI

AI/MCP Concepts

A type of AI that can create original content—such as text, images, code, or video—in response to a user’s prompt by learning patterns from its training data.

Governance

IAM concepts

In identity and access management, governance refers to the processes and policies used to manage identities, ensure compliance with regulations, and maintain control over user access and privileges. In workload management, it refers to the strategic oversight of system workloads and resources.