Clutch Security Inc., a nonhuman identity security platform company,  today announced the launch of NHI Index, a new resource designed to empower security and information technology professionals to effectively secure and manage NHIs across diverse environments.

The new service features an NHI catalog along with essential resources and practical guidance for securing and managing NHIs. With the service, security teams can implement changes such as mapping audit scores, adopting ephemeral identities and minimizing exposure to status NHIs.

NHIs are digital credentials or entities used by machines, applications and automated processes to authenticate and perform programmatic operations on various resources. A problem arises, however, with the growth of NHIs presenting serious security challenges as NHIs are often dispersed across cloud, software-as-a-service and on-premises systems. As they typically lack centralized controls such as multifactor authentication and frequently hold excessive privileges, they have become prime targets for exploitation.

NHI Index tackles the growth and management issues of NHIs by providing security and IT professionals with essential tools and insights to navigate the challenges of securing NHIs across diverse and fragmented environments, the company said. The service offers detailed guidance and actionable steps to allow professionals to proactively secure NHIs, with the aim of delivering a more secure and resilient enterprise landscape.

“The NHI Index is our response to the growing challenges of securing NHIs in today’s fragmented enterprise environment,” said Clutch co-founder and Chif Executive Ofir Har-Chen. “It not only equips security professionals with practical tools and insights but also highlights just how prevalent and integral NHIs are across cloud and SaaS technologies.”

Key features of the NHI Index include a detailed catalog that lists NHIs used across major cloud providers, code repositories, continuous integration/ continuous delivery solutions and SaaS applications. Each entry provides crucial details, such as service names, environments, NHI types and security features like audit logs, IP allowlists and expiry settings to enhance security oversight.

The index offers essential resources for reducing the NHI attack surface by guiding organizations through the use of OpenID Connect between cloud providers and version control systems, as well as enabling intercloud connectivity with ephemeral keys. Complementary resources, such as Terraform files and step-by-step tutorials, further support the shift from static to ephemeral identities, significantly improving security posture, the company said.

In addition, the NHI Index maps over 350 distinct types of NHIs used by more than 480 cloud services, code repositories and software-as-a-service applications.

Clutch Security is a venture capital-backed startup that has raised $8.5 million in funding, according to Tracxn. Investors in the company include Lightspeed Venture Partners Management, Merlin Ventures and Cyber Club London Ltd.

Photo: Clutch Security