Pathfinder NHI Governance brings ownership, least-privilege controls, and lifecycle management to service accounts, API keys, workload identities, and AI agents
BeyondTrust, a global leader in privilege-centric identity security, has announced the launch of Pathfinder NHI Governance, a new solution designed to help organizations govern and secure the rapidly growing number of non-human identities (NHIs) across cloud, SaaS, endpoint, and on-premises environments.
The new offering extends BeyondTrust’s privileged access management capabilities beyond human users to include service accounts, API keys, OAuth clients, workload identities, and AI agents, which are increasingly becoming critical components of modern enterprise infrastructure.
According to BeyondTrust, the explosion of machine and AI-driven identities has created a significant security challenge. Research from the company’s Phantom Labs found that non-human identities already outnumber human users in most organizations, while enterprise AI agents have grown by more than 460% year over year. Despite their widespread use, many of these identities remain unmanaged, with unclear ownership, excessive privileges, and limited oversight.
“Seeing non-human identities was only half the equation. The other half is doing something about the privilege they carry at scale: deciding who owns each one, pulling back the privilege they aren’t using, and retiring the ones that should not exist.”
Marc Maiffret, Chief Technology Officer, BeyondTrust
The company argues that visibility alone is no longer enough. Recent software supply chain attacks have demonstrated how compromised OAuth tokens and machine identities can provide attackers with legitimate access to sensitive systems and data without triggering traditional security controls.
To address this challenge, Pathfinder NHI Governance introduces automated lifecycle management capabilities that help organizations establish accountability and reduce risk. Core features include assigning ownership to every non-human identity, enforcing least-privilege access, retiring stale or orphaned identities, and applying security controls to AI agents operating within enterprise environments.
The solution builds on BeyondTrust’s existing Identity Security Insights and Password Safe platforms, combining discovery, credential management, governance, and enforcement within a unified framework. By bringing non-human identities under the same governance principles used for human users, organizations can better manage privilege across increasingly complex digital environments.
BeyondTrust said the launch reflects the growing need for organizations to move beyond inventorying machine identities toward actively controlling the privileges they hold and the resources they can access.
Pathfinder NHI Governance is expected to be generally available in the United States in Fall 2026, with expanded availability in other global regions to follow.
With non-human and AI identities becoming a dominant force across enterprise ecosystems, BeyondTrust aims to help organizations reduce identity-related risk through stronger governance, accountability, and privilege management at scale.
