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Introduction:
The enterprise is no longer a human-centric environment. With machine identities outnumbering humans 109 to 1 and 99 out of 100 organizations having adopted AI agents, the traditional identity and access management (IAM) models built for static, human-only workforces are crumbling. Palo Alto Networks has responded with Idira™, a next-generation identity security platform that treats every identity—human, machine, and AI agent—as privileged, replacing always-on access with dynamic, just-in-time controls. This article explores how Idira is democratizing privilege controls and why identity has become the new control plane for the AI enterprise.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the shift from human-centered identity architectures to unified control planes that secure human, machine, and agentic identities.
- Learn how zero standing privilege (ZSP) and just-in-time (JIT) access eliminate the risks of persistent, always-on permissions.
- Discover practical implementation steps for discovering identity risk, controlling privilege dynamically, and automating governance across hybrid environments.
You Should Know:
- The Identity Crisis: Why Every Identity Is Now Privileged
The premise of Idira is simple yet profound: every identity within an enterprise is privileged. This marks a fundamental departure from the legacy assumption that only a small number of administrators require elevated access. In the AI era, AI agents authenticate, call APIs, access sensitive data, and can even escalate their own privileges to complete tasks—capabilities that legacy IAM and PAM platforms were never designed to see, let alone control.
Research from Palo Alto Networks’ 2026 Identity Security Landscape report reveals that 96% of human users have access far beyond what is required for their roles. Meanwhile, 61% of privileged access requests are still fulfilled with standing privilege rather than on-demand, leaving enterprises dangerously exposed. Attackers now log in rather than break in, making every identity a target.
The attack surface is expanding exponentially. Machine identities now outnumber human identities 109 to 1, and each of these identities can carry privilege, create risk, and broaden the attack surface. Traditional point solutions, built for yesterday’s problems where elevated access was reserved for a select few, cannot handle this scale or complexity.
Step‑by‑Step: Assessing Your Identity Risk Posture
Before implementing any identity security solution, organizations must first understand their current risk landscape. Here is a practical approach to discovery:
Step 1: Inventory All Identity Types
- Linux/macOS: Use `ldapsearch` to query Active Directory or LDAP for all user and service accounts: `ldapsearch -x -H ldap://your-domain-controller -b “dc=yourdomain,dc=com” “(objectClass=user)”`
– Windows (PowerShell): `Get-ADUser -Filter -Properties MemberOf,LastLogonDate | Export-Csv -Path “human_identities.csv”`
– Cloud (AWS CLI): `aws iam list-users –output table` and `aws iam list-roles –output table`
Step 2: Discover Machine and Service Accounts
- Linux: `cat /etc/passwd | grep -E “/(bin|sbin)” | cut -d: -f1` to list system accounts
- Windows (PowerShell): `Get-WmiObject Win32_Service | Where-Object {$_.StartName -1e “LocalSystem”} | Select-Object Name, StartName`
– Kubernetes: `kubectl get serviceaccounts –all-1amespaces`
Step 3: Identify AI Agents and Workloads
- Scan SaaS, cloud, and developer environments for active agents. Idira Secure AI Agents performs this continuously, enriching each agent with context including ownership, purpose, status, and permission levels.
- For custom implementations, audit API keys and service tokens: `grep -r “API_KEY” /etc/` or use cloud provider tools like AWS IAM Access Analyzer.
Step 4: Map Entitlements and Access Paths
- Use privilege discovery tools to map which identities have access to which resources. Idira uses AI natively to surface hidden entitlements and unmanaged accounts, recommend least-privilege configurations, and execute remediation.
- Zero Standing Privilege: The Death of Always‑On Access
Zero standing privilege (ZSP) is the cornerstone of modern identity security. Instead of granting persistent, always-on access rights to users or machines, ZSP ensures that privileges are granted only when needed, for a specific task and duration, and then automatically revoked.
Idira replaces static, always-on access with dynamic privilege, granted just-in-time on a single control plane. This approach dramatically reduces the attack surface. By granting permissions only upon request, JIT can reduce identity and entitlement risks by 75% or more in most scenarios. For example, a user who requests permissions for a 40-hour work week will not have access during the remaining 128 hours, significantly minimizing identity-breach risks.
The platform’s AI-driven governance continuously evaluates risk throughout the lifecycle of a session—not just at login—reinforcing Zero Trust principles. This continuous control loop aligns with modern identity standards designed to propagate changes across users, workloads, devices, sessions, and applications in near real time.
Step‑by‑Step: Implementing Just‑in‑Time Access Controls
Step 1: Define Privileged Roles and Approval Workflows
- Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) PIM: Navigate to Azure AD > Privileged Identity Management > Azure AD roles. Select a role (e.g., Global Administrator) and configure “Eligible” assignments with activation requirements including multi-factor authentication (MFA) and justification.
- AWS IAM: Create a permissions policy that requires MFA and a specific condition for elevation: `”Condition”: {“Bool”: {“aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent”: “true”}}`
Step 2: Configure Time‑Bound Access
- Linux (sudo with time restrictions): Edit `/etc/sudoers` to add time-limited rules: `username ALL=(ALL) /usr/bin/command, timestamp_timeout=15` (timeout in minutes)
- Windows (PowerShell Just Enough Administration – JEA): Create a role capability file and session configuration that restricts commands and duration: `New-PSRoleCapabilityFile -Path .\MyRole.psrc` and `Register-PSSessionConfiguration -1ame MyJEA -RoleCapabilityPath .\MyRole.psrc`
Step 3: Implement Zero Standing Privilege for Workloads
- Kubernetes: Use dynamic admission controllers and OPA (Open Policy Agent) to enforce JIT access. Example policy: `package kubernetes.admission` with rules that deny access unless a valid JIT token is present.
- Secrets Management: Replace static secrets with dynamic, ephemeral credentials. HashiCorp Vault can generate database credentials on-demand: `vault read database/creds/my-role`
Step 4: Monitor and Audit Privileged Sessions
- Linux: Use `auditd` to log all sudo commands: `auditctl -w /etc/sudoers -p wa -k sudoers_changes`
– Windows: Enable Advanced Audit Policy > Account Logon > Audit Kerberos Authentication Service and Audit Credential Validation. - Cloud: Enable CloudTrail (AWS) or Activity Logs (Azure) with real-time alerting for privilege escalations.
- The Unified Control Plane: Managing Human, Machine, and Agentic Identities Together
What sets Idira apart is its operation as a single control plane across all three identity types: human, machine, and agentic. This unification is critical because fragmented identity tools weren’t built to support real-time visibility and control across such diverse identity types.
On the discovery side, Idira continuously scans SaaS, cloud, and developer environments to surface every active agent and machine identity, enriching each one with context: who owns it, what it can access, and what permissions are actually in use. This closes a blind spot that most security teams don’t even know they have.
Instead of granting an agent static access tokens, Idira dynamically elevates privileges exactly when an agent needs to execute a task and instantly revokes them afterward. This approach is fundamentally different from traditional IGA (Identity Governance and Administration) platforms like SailPoint, which primarily focus on lifecycle management and compliance rather than runtime security for autonomous actors.
Step‑by‑Step: Unifying Identity Security Across All Identity Types
Step 1: Consolidate Identity Sources
- Use a centralized identity provider (IdP) like Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, or Ping Identity as the source of truth.
- Linux: Configure SSSD to integrate with multiple identity sources: edit `/etc/sssd/sssd.conf` to include `[domain/your.domain]` with `id_provider = ad` or
ldap. - Windows: Use Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) to federate with cloud IdPs.
Step 2: Discover and Classify Machine Identities
- Linux: Use `openssl x509 -in /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt -text -1oout` to audit certificates and their validity.
- Windows (PowerShell): `Get-ChildItem -Path Cert:\LocalMachine\My | Format-Table Subject, NotAfter` to list machine certificates.
- Kubernetes: `kubectl get secrets –all-1amespaces -o json | jq ‘.items[] | select(.type==”kubernetes.io/service-account-token”)’` to identify service account tokens.
Step 3: Discover and Secure AI Agents
- Idira Secure AI Agents automatically scans environments to identify active agents. For custom implementations:
- Audit API gateway logs for agent traffic patterns.
- Implement agent identity protocols like SPIFFE for cryptographic identity, not static API keys.
- Use policy enforcement proxies for Model Context Protocol (MCP) with human-in-the-loop approval.
Step 4: Implement Continuous Governance
- Define policies that automatically provision and deprovision access based on identity lifecycle events.
- Use AI-powered policy to transform compliance into governance by automating the entire identity lifecycle.
- Linux: Automate user lifecycle with Ansible: `ansible-playbook user-lifecycle.yml` with tasks for creation, modification, and deletion.
- Windows: Use PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) to enforce identity policies: `Configuration IdentityGovernance { Node localhost { … } }`
- AI‑Driven Discovery and Remediation: Closing the Defender‑Attacker Gap
Attackers can complete lateral movement in an average of 72 minutes, while defenders traditionally take days to respond. Idira closes this gap by running AI natively inside the platform to surface hidden entitlements, unmanaged accounts, and recommend least-privilege configurations.
The AI-driven approach continuously surfaces and instantly remediates every identity, entitlement, and access path across an enterprise. This proactive stance transforms identity security from a reactive, compliance-driven function into a continuous, real-time defense mechanism.
Step‑by‑Step: Implementing AI‑Driven Identity Discovery and Remediation
Step 1: Deploy Continuous Discovery
- Linux: Use `trufflehog` or `git-secrets` to scan repositories for exposed secrets: `trufflehog filesystem /path/to/repo –only-verified`
– Cloud: Enable AWS IAM Access Analyzer, Azure AD Access Reviews, or GCP Recommender to continuously analyze permissions. - Idira: Leverage Idira’s built-in AI discovery to scan SaaS, cloud, and developer environments continuously.
Step 2: Automate Remediation
- Linux (Ansible): Create playbooks that automatically revoke excess permissions: `- name: Remove unnecessary sudo access` with `lineinfile` module to edit
/etc/sudoers. - Windows (PowerShell): `Remove-ADGroupMember -Identity “Domain Admins” -Members “unnecessary_user”` and log the change.
- Cloud: Use infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools like Terraform to enforce least-privilege policies: `resource “aws_iam_policy” “least_privilege” { … }`
Step 3: Implement Continuous Monitoring and Alerting
- Linux: Configure `auditd` to monitor identity changes: `auditctl -w /etc/passwd -p wa -k identity_changes`
– Windows: Enable Windows Event Forwarding (WEF) for identity-related events (Event IDs 4728, 4732, 4756 for group membership changes). - SIEM Integration: Forward all identity logs to a SIEM (e.g., Splunk, QRadar, or Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM) with dashboards for privilege anomalies.
5. Governance and Compliance Automation
Idira’s governance layer automates the entire identity lifecycle—from first access to final session. This transforms compliance from a periodic, manual exercise into continuous, automated governance.
The platform eliminates the friction of legacy, siloed approaches by providing a unified, cloud-1ative solution that discovers identities, entitlements, and access paths, dynamically applies privileges through just-in-time controls, and continuously governs identity lifecycles.
Step‑by‑Step: Automating Identity Governance
Step 1: Define Entitlement and Access Policies
- Linux: Use `setfacl` to define granular file system permissions: `setfacl -m u:username:rwx /path/to/directory`
– Windows: Use AD ACLs and Group Policy to define access policies: `Set-Acl -Path “\\server\share” -AclObject $newAcl`
– Cloud: Define IAM policies with conditions for time, location, and MFA status.
Step 2: Automate Access Reviews and Certifications
- Microsoft Entra: Configure access reviews in PIM to automatically recertify privileged roles on a schedule.
- Idira: Use Idira’s governance layer to automate the entire identity lifecycle.
- Linux: Implement a custom script using `python-ldap` to generate access review reports.
Step 3: Implement Just‑in‑Time Provisioning and Deprovisioning
- Linux: Use `sssd` with `ad_access_filter` to control who can log in based on AD group membership.
- Windows: Use `Set-ADUser -Identity username -Enabled $false` to deprovision immediately upon termination.
- API Security: Implement OAuth 2.0 with short-lived access tokens (e.g., 5-minute expiry) and refresh token rotation.
Step 4: Audit and Report Continuously
- Linux: Use `logwatch` or `auditd` reports for daily identity summaries.
- Windows: Use `Get-EventLog -LogName Security -InstanceId 4624,4625` for login audits.
- Cloud: Enable detailed billing and usage reports that include identity access patterns.
What Undercode Say:
- Key Takeaway 1: Identity is no longer just about human users—AI agents and machine identities are now first-class citizens in the security landscape, each carrying privilege and risk. The 109:1 machine-to-human ratio makes this an urgent, non-1egotiable priority for every security team.
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Key Takeaway 2: Zero standing privilege is not just a best practice—it is the new operational standard. Replacing persistent privilege with ephemeral, just-in-time access reduces identity risk by over 75% and aligns with Zero Trust principles that require continuous verification rather than single-moment authentication.
The launch of Idira represents a paradigm shift from managing identity to securing it. Traditional PAM was a vault problem—locking away credentials for a few administrators. Today, the enterprise is a sprawling mesh of human users, workloads, APIs, and autonomous AI agents, all requiring dynamic privilege controls. Palo Alto Networks has positioned Idira alongside Strata and Cortex as a strategic platform, integrating advanced identity management across the entire product portfolio. The platform’s ability to discover hidden entitlements, enforce least-privilege access, and automate governance across hybrid environments addresses the fundamental challenge of scale that legacy solutions cannot handle.
For existing CyberArk customers, Idira provides a seamless upgrade path, with Traditional PAM customers receiving discovery and user experience improvements automatically. Modern PAM customers can immediately take advantage of Zero Standing Privilege and discovery enhancements at no additional cost. This democratization of privilege controls means that every identity—not just a privileged few—now receives the same level of security scrutiny.
The AI-1ative architecture of Idira is particularly significant. By running AI inside the platform to surface hidden permissions and recommend least-privilege configurations, Idira closes the defender-attacker gap—reducing response times from days to minutes. As autonomous AI agents become more prevalent, this capability will be essential for maintaining security without sacrificing innovation velocity.
Prediction:
- +1 Idira will accelerate the consolidation of the fragmented identity security market, driving a shift from point solutions to unified platforms that reduce complexity and close security gaps. Organizations that adopt unified identity security platforms will see 40-50% reductions in identity-related incident response times within 18 months.
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+1 The democratization of privilege controls will enable faster AI adoption by providing security teams with the visibility and control needed to safely deploy autonomous agents across business functions. This will unlock significant productivity gains without compromising security posture.
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-1 Organizations that fail to modernize their identity security architecture will face escalating breach risks as AI agents proliferate. With 9 out of 10 organizations already experiencing identity-related breaches, those relying on legacy IAM and PAM tools will struggle to detect and contain agent-based attacks.
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-1 The 72-minute attacker advantage will widen for organizations without AI-driven identity discovery and remediation, as manual processes cannot keep pace with the speed of AI-powered attacks. This will lead to increased regulatory scrutiny and potential fines for non-compliance with emerging identity security frameworks.
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+1 The integration of identity security with network security (Strata), cloud security (Prisma), and SecOps (Cortex) will create a holistic security architecture where identity becomes the unifying control plane across all domains. This platformization strategy will reduce tool sprawl and improve security outcomes for enterprises of all sizes.
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