The cybersecurity landscape is shifting rapidly. Today, the greatest vulnerability for organizations isn’t just at the perimeter—it’s at the very heart of the workforce. Insider threats, privilege misuse, and even AI-generated deception are all on the rise, posing unprecedented risks for every business. At TechVision Research, we believe the answer starts by truly “Knowing Your Worker”—and turning this concept into practical, risk-aligned action.
Why ‘Know Your Worker’ Now?
A staggering 75% of breaches and ransomware attacks are linked to human actions—whether by mistake or malice. The modern workforce is more distributed and dynamic than ever, spanning employees, contractors, supply-chain partners, managed service providers, and more. With so many extended parties having access to critical information, identity and access management (IAM) has become the linchpin for ensuring protection and compliance.
But traditional IAM approaches aren’t enough. Aggregated access privileges, privilege escalation, and failure to properly vet digital identities create massive “blast radius” potential. The solution? Move from static, perimeter-based controls to a dynamic, risk-driven Know Your Worker (KYW) approach—one that recognizes the unique risks of every user, connection, and interaction.
The Insider Threat: Hiding in Plain Sight
Insider threats are no longer the exception—they are the norm. Most organizations focus on external hackers, but breaches often originate internally, whether through intentional wrongdoing, negligence, or manipulation by third parties. With AI-driven social engineering and deception now at scale, it’s easier than ever for malicious actors to target vulnerable insiders or impersonate trusted colleagues.
According to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an insider is anyone with authorized access who could use their privileges to harm the organization. The results can range from leaked sensitive data and resource sabotage to social engineering attacks that bypass even the best technical defenses.
IAM/IGA 2.0: Align Identity with Risk
The next evolution in IAM—something we call IAM/IGA 2.0—puts risk at the center. It’s not enough to track “who” someone is; you must also understand their intent, behavioral patterns, and level of access, then dynamically align permissions accordingly. Modern identity governance aims to:
- Limit the damage from mistakes or malicious acts (“blast radius”)
- Ensure only the right people have the right access at the right time, never more
- Provide seamless and secure orchestration across humans and non-human agents
This means integrating IAM directly with worker risk management, using context-rich information to drive timely, precise decisions.
Enter Verifiable and Personhood Credentials
To overcome growing threats—especially as AI-generated personas and bots become indistinguishable from real humans—organizations need stronger, privacy-preserving identity proofing. That’s where verifiable credentials and personhood credentials (PHCs) come in:
- Verifiable Credentials (VCs): These use W3C standards and cryptographic verification, enabling secure, privacy-preserving proof of identity, qualifications, or attributes.
- Personhood Credentials: These cutting-edge credentials leverage zero-knowledge proofs to confirm that someone is a real human—not a bot, synthetic persona, or AI agent—without sharing personal information. They are designed to help businesses ensure that only real, verified humans get access, preserving privacy while combating AI-powered deception and fraud.
PHCs are being explored by leaders like OpenAI, Harvard, Microsoft, and MIT, and expect broad adoption as digital trust becomes paramount.
Control Architecture & Orchestration: Practical Steps
Adopting a KYW approach means building an actionable control architecture:
- Limit privilege aggregation: Prevent any single individual or partner from accumulating dangerous levels of access.
- Orchestrate issuance, verification, and governance: Automate identity verification and access reviews, integrating seamlessly with both human workflows and machine agents.
- Separate humans from AIs in access decisions: Make sure aligned controls are in place to spot and act on the difference, leveraging personhood credentials and continuous authentication.
Why It Matters—and How to Start
The road ahead for identity, security, and risk leaders is clear: vet, credential, and authenticate every member of your extended workforce using modern, risk-adaptive and privacy-first methods. The benefits include:
- Drastically reducing your breach and fraud exposure
- Ensuring regulatory compliance and audit readiness
- Building lasting digital trust among employees, partners, and customers
Join the Conversation—Webinar Invitation
Want to learn more and put these ideas into practice? Join us September 9, 2025, for our exclusive TechVision Research webinar:
Know Your Worker: The Intersection of Worker Risk & IAM
You’ll get concrete guidance on insider threats, IAM/IGA 2.0, verifiable credentials, personhood solutions, and practical orchestration strategies. The session features world-class experts Doug Simmons, Gary Zimmerman, Gary Rowe, and more.
Don’t miss this opportunity to future-proof your digital trust program for an AI-driven world.
[Register now to secure your spot!]
By embracing “Know Your Worker,” you’re not just protecting data—you’re building a safer, more resilient enterprise for the future. Follow TechVision Research for the latest insights and actionable strategies in identity, risk, and cybersecurity.
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