Tech

Credential Hygiene in 2026: Essential Identity Security Practices Enterprises Still Ignore

Credential hygiene in 2026 is more than just passwords. It is about every identity in your system. Humans, machines, and even AI agents. Every one of them can be a target. And attackers know it. Despite huge security budgets, breaches keep happening. Identity attacks are still the primary way systems get compromised. Most companies focus on the flashy new tools. They invest in the latest firewalls, next gen endpoint protection, and AI security dashboards. But the basics get ignored. The small fixes that have huge impact are skipped. Credential hygiene today is really about reducing Identity Debt. That means cleaning up dormant accounts. Removing unnecessary permissions. Managing every machine identity properly. Every old or forgotten account is a door left open. Every untracked permission is a risk waiting to be…