Business cybersecurity is at a turning point: identities are no longer limited to human users or service accounts. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) agents with persistent access to critical systems has multiplied the risk of attacks and expanded the attack surface. To address this challenge, CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD) has announced the launch of Falcon® Next-Gen Identity Security, the first unified platform protecting all identities — human, non-human, and AI agents — in hybrid environments.
The solution aims to tackle an increasingly urgent problem. Attackers not only exploit stolen credentials from users but also automated service accounts, SaaS credentials, and now autonomous AI agents that function as “super-identities” with extended privileges. These non-human accounts often evade traditional IAM (identity and access management) and PAM (privileged access management) controls, creating a critical blind spot.
Mike Sentonas, CrowdStrike’s president, summarized it decisively:
“Access in the modern enterprise is dynamic and unpredictable. Identities encompass users, machines, and AI agents operating in real-time across hybrid environments. Our Falcon platform was designed to manage this complexity and stop modern identity attacks without legacy integration debt or fragmented solutions.”
A comprehensive strategy against identity theft
Falcon Next-Gen Identity Security is built on four key pillars to safeguard organizations against identity-based attacks:
- Prevention of initial access: real-time dynamic authentication using threat intelligence and endpoint signals.
- Modern privileged access management (PAM): eliminates permanent privileges, enforces “just-in-time” access, and adjusts permissions based on risk in multi-cloud environments.
- Threat detection and response (ITDR): identifies lateral movements and privilege escalations, actively blocking ongoing attacks with AI-driven responses.
- SaaS identity security: monitors misconfigurations and over-permissioning in cloud applications, for both human and non-human or AI agents.
This approach aims to close the gaps between domains — endpoint, identity, cloud, and SaaS — that attackers often exploit to move undetected.
The new frontier: defending AI agents
A particularly innovative aspect of this release is the protection of autonomous AI agents, which are increasingly integrated into business applications, supply chains, and critical processes. These agents operate with higher levels of access than many human employees, making them priority targets for malicious actors.
Unlike traditional solutions, CrowdStrike assures that Falcon can detect, investigate, and automatically respond to anomalous behaviors of agent identities, preventing them from becoming entry points for large-scale intrusion campaigns.
A rapidly growing and pressured market
CrowdStrike’s announcement comes at a time when identity security has become one of the most vulnerable and attacked fronts in cybersecurity. According to the company, over 80% of current security breaches originate from compromised credentials.
The challenge is amplified by the explosion of generative AI and autonomous agents, increasing both the number of identities to protect and the privileges they manage. The risk is clear: the more identities, the larger the attack surface, and the harder it becomes for defenders to react in real time.
In this context, CrowdStrike’s bet is not just technological but strategic: to position itself as the go-to platform for identity security versus competitors still relying on fragmented solutions or multiple providers.
The broader context: the AI bubble and increasing complexity
CrowdStrike’s move should also be understood within a broader setting: the AI and data center investment bubble. Every new AI agent deployed in enterprises adds an additional risk vector. Organizations are investing millions in models, GPUs, and automation, but many have yet to adapt their security strategies to the new paradigm of hybrid identities.
Experts warn that rapid AI adoption without robust identity controls could trigger a wave of security incidents that are difficult to contain. The paradox is evident: while AI promises efficiency and speed, it also creates “invisible superusers” that, if fallen into the wrong hands, could cause unprecedented breaches.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What sets CrowdStrike Falcon Next-Gen Identity Security apart from other IAM or PAM solutions?
It unifies access prevention, privilege management, threat detection and response, and SaaS security into a single platform, including protection for autonomous AI agents.Why do AI agents pose a new security risk?
Because they operate with persistent access to sensitive systems and data, acting as super-identities that are difficult to manage with traditional tools.How does CrowdStrike help reduce complexity for organizations?
By providing a single lightweight sensor and centralized console, removing the need for multiple fragmented tools and reducing integration debt.What impact could the AI bubble have on identity security?
The widespread deployment of AI agents and systems expands the attack surface and breach risk, emphasizing the need for reinforced security measures to prevent multimillion-dollar investments from becoming vulnerabilities.
via: CrowdStrike