All IAM glossary termsPrivileged Access · glossary
Service Account
Also known as: System Account · Machine Identity · Non-Human Identity
Definition
A service account is a non-human identity used by applications, services, scripts, or scheduled jobs to authenticate to other systems — distinct from a human user account.
In more depth
Service accounts are everywhere — every API integration, scheduled task, database connection, and inter-service call typically uses one. They're also the single most-neglected privileged-identity surface: passwords rarely rotated, ownership unclear, lifecycle untracked.
Modern programs treat service accounts as first-class privileged identities under PAM vault management. CyberArk's 2025 study found machine identities outnumber humans 80:1, with AI agent identities rapidly inflating the ratio.
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