They don't break in, they log in: 79% of intrusions are malware-free
Generative AI is revolutionizing the landscape of identity security, presenting both opportunities and challenges as security professionals strive to stay ahead in the gen AI arms race. Adversarial AI techniques such as voice phishing (vishing) and deepfakes are on the rise, with a 442% increase in vishing attacks reported in the second half of 2024 according to CrowdStrike’s 2025 Threat Hunting report. Attackers are leveraging AI-driven social engineering and deepfake tools to exploit credentials at scale, highlighting the need for advanced security measures.
Machine identities now outnumber human users in the average enterprise by a ratio of 45:1, and attackers can move laterally within the network in just 51 seconds. Traditional identity and access management systems are struggling to keep pace with these threats moving at machine speed. As a result, organizations are turning to AI-powered platforms that can learn, adapt, and respond autonomously to combat these evolving threats.
In 2024, the adoption of gen AI capabilities moved from pilots to production, leading to a significant increase in information security spending. Gartner predicts that security spending will reach $213 billion in 2025, with ongoing threat protection pushing spending to $323 billion by 2029. IDC forecasts that the Identity and Access Management (IAM) market will double from $23.5 billion in 2024 to $47.1 billion in 2028, highlighting the growing importance of identity security in the cybersecurity landscape.
Identity security strategies are evolving to prioritize optimal outcomes by addressing user constituencies and managing access through an integrated fabric of tools. Gartner’s IAM taxonomy emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to identity and access management, focusing on a single layer of visibility and control across every identity within the organization.
Real-world case studies, such as that of Cushman & Wakefield, demonstrate the practical impact of gen AI on identity security. The company, a global real estate services firm, implemented CrowdStrike’s Falcon Next-Gen Identity Security platform to create behavioral baselines for every identity across their infrastructure, monitor SaaS applications, assign dynamic risk scores, and take real-time actions in response to anomalies. This proactive approach to identity security has proven effective in protecting against identity-related intrusions and unauthorized access.
Large Language Models (LLMs) are also playing a crucial role in revolutionizing identity governance and vulnerability assessment. Organizations are leveraging AI-driven context prioritization to assess vulnerability exposure, automate permission reviews, and identify hidden identity risks proactively. These advancements are shifting identity governance from reactive approaches to proactive, real-time security resilience.
In the rapidly evolving vendor landscape, security leaders have a wide range of options to choose from, including CrowdStrike Charlotte AI, Ivanti Neurons, Microsoft Security Copilot, Okta Adaptive MFA, and ForgeRock Autonomous Identity, among others. These vendors offer AI-driven solutions for real-time threat detection, behavioral profiling, proactive identity threat detection, and managed detection capabilities.
Overall, gen AI is delivering measurable ROI in key areas of identity security, including reducing investigation times, minimizing excessive privileges, decreasing mean-time-to-detect, and reducing false positives. Organizations that embrace gen AI in their identity security strategies are seeing significant operational improvements and cost savings, making it a crucial investment for CISOs looking to enhance their security posture in the face of evolving cyber threats.
