Okta launches new tools to secure AI & digital identities

Okta has unveiled new platform capabilities designed to enhance security for AI agents and other non-human identities within businesses.

Deloitte estimates that by 2027, half of all companies using generative AI will also employ AI agents. However, securing non-human identities, such as service and shared accounts, remains challenging due to their non-federated, static credentials and lack of multi-factor authentication. "Amid the excitement of embracing the next wave of generative AI, companies are moving quickly to deploy agentic use cases, often overlooking the critical need to secure these systems and control the sprawl of non-human identities," said Arnab Bose, Chief Product Officer, Okta Platform at Okta. "By bringing these identities into the identity security fabric, the Okta Platform can help organizations secure the rising digital labour force with the same rigor and vigilance as the human workforce."

The new platform capabilities, including Identity Security Posture Management and Okta Privileged Access, aim to improve the security of AI agents and other non-human identities. These tools are designed to ensure AI-driven automation and machine-to-machine interactions align with Zero Trust policies.

Additional features include Separation of Duties within Okta Identity Governance, available to customers in a public preview. This feature assists in preventing users from accumulating conflicting access permissions, reducing potential security risks.

Okta has enhanced its Secure Device Features to minimise MFA fatigue and reduce the risk of credential theft through contextual data integration for Zero Trust access control. These capabilities, now available to customers in early access, offer deeper integration with an organisation's existing tool ecosystem to inform access policies and conduct continuous risk assessments.

Furthermore, Okta announced the general availability of Secure Identity Integrations within the Okta Integration Network, aimed at providing comprehensive security integrations for critical business applications such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Salesforce. These integrations allow companies to manage user privileges effectively and quickly respond to security threats with built-in remediation and universal logout functions.

On the Auth0 Platform, Okta has launched Auth for GenAI in Developer Preview, allowing developers to integrate secure identity features into generative AI applications. Shiven Ramji, President of Auth0 at Okta, explained, "This explosion of AI-powered assistants that can answer complex questions, automate workflows, and take actions on behalf of users is undoubtedly exciting. However, it can be challenging to add security effectively once deployed. With Auth for GenAI, developers can help ensure that AI agents are built with secure authentication and authorization from their inception, granting access only to what's necessary and preventing misuse."

This suite of tools includes user authentication, token management, asynchronous authorization, and fine-grained authorization to support secure and controlled AI-agent interactions. These tools aim to address identity needs in AI-driven applications and facilitate a more seamless integration with popular AI frameworks.

Auth0's new Enterprise Ready Customer Identity offering introduces advanced identity and access management capabilities designed to meet the requirements of enterprise-level applications. This includes supporting modern security protocols and standards, user provisioning and deprovisioning automation, and enhanced access control granularity through APIs.