# Identity security for AI agents: 18 insights from Navigate 2026 > SailPoint's Navigate 2026 reveals how enterprises must secure AI agents at machine speed with real-time identity controls. - Title: Identity security for AI agents: 18 insights from Navigate… - Summary: SailPoint's Navigate 2026 reveals how enterprises must secure AI agents at machine speed with real-time identity controls. Enterprises need real-time… - Keywords: sailpoint, navigate 2026, ai agents, identity security, machine identities, real-time access, zero standing privilege, agent core, entro security, just-in-time authorization, agent ownership, runtime enforcement - Source: SiliconANGLE — https://siliconangle.com/2026/10/09/identity-security-ai-agents-18-insights-from-navigate-2026-sailpointnavigate - Author: Jonathan Anthony - Published: 2026-10-09T13:31:55+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: sailpoint, navigate 2026, ai agents, identity security, machine identities, real-time access, zero standing privilege, agent core, entro security, just-in-time authorization, agent ownership, runtime enforcement ## AI agents become security front line AI agents now number in the thousands and pick up access nobody meant to give them. > We need administrative, we need good compliance controls, but the real issue now … is how do you secure all these identities? ## Real-time identity security needed Enterprises must act on discovery findings rather than just finding agents. > It took a very small amount of analysis for our technical team to go, 'We can’t do this effectively in quote admin time.' ## Machine identities grow rapidly 109 machine identities exist for every human user. > The practical middle path is SailPoint’s Autonomous Identity approach that sits between rigid kill switches and unconstrained innovation ## Zero standing privilege required Enterprises must eliminate permanent access for AI agents. > AI agents must not inherit the anonymity or privacy rights of humans and every action needs to be attributable to a human owner or organization from the outset ## Real-world agent security tests SailPoint runs software on customer networks to test security claims. > The Entro acquisition added about 1,200 discovery sources for non-human identities ## AWS agent controls grow AWS agent controls usage increased 15 times in six months. > Because agents will go to any length to finish a task, policies have to be enforced outside the agent through AgentCore Gateway ## Just-in-time authorization Agents get temporary access instead of permanent privileges. > Its Lineage Map records the full chain from human to agent to tool to data, across clouds and platforms ## Identity debt urgency Years of identity debt create immediate security risks. > Practitioners should use the urgency to win funding and get the organization aligned ## Velocity paradox in identity 80% of companies think their tooling gap is moderate or smaller. > Companies took five years to mature human identity, but they need to do the same for agents in a year or less ## Hidden agents discovered One Fortune 500 company found 10,000 hidden agents. > Unum set up discovery of its Bedrock and Copilot agents within two weeks to gain a kill switch ## Production scans reduce risks 100,000 non-human identities narrowed to 72 in hours. > In one case, risk scoring narrowed 100,00.000 non-human identities down to 72 that needed attention ## Exposed credentials cause breaches Breach incidents stem from exposed credentials, not rogue AI. > Entro connects human and non-human identities under a single policy ## Partners essential for scale SailPoint needs partners to meet demand for proofs of concept. > Customers now want help finding shadow AI, deciding what a kill switch should mean ## Autonomous identity governance SailPoint builds level 2 through 4 autonomous agents for governance. > That is why SailPoint is building level 2 through level 4 autonomous agents for governance, earning customer trust step by step ## Agentic accelerator outcomes Fortune 500 customers see outcomes in hours, not weeks. > SailPoint’s Agentic Accelerator has taken some Fortune 50 customers from deployment to outcome in less than a day ## Key takeaway Enterprises need real-time identity security for AI agents to prevent unauthorized access as machine identities grow to 109 per human.