IDSA Highlights Key Trends in Digital Identity Security for 2025

The Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) has released a report that outlines significant trends in digital identity security, indicating a shift in the landscape following a notable rise in security incidents in 2024. According to the 2025 report, the number of identity-related security issues has decreased across nearly all categories.

The research surveyed over 500 professionals in IT security and digital identity from companies employing more than 1,000 employees. Noteworthy findings reveal that 14 percent of businesses did not experience an identity-related incident last year, a marked increase from 10 percent in the previous two surveys.

Emerging Trends in Identity Security

As organizations navigate the complexities of digital identity, key trends have emerged. AI, non-human identities (NHIs), zero trust methodologies, and digital wallets have been identified as pivotal areas of focus. Phishing remains the most prevalent attack, affecting 56 percent of organizations surveyed, significantly overshadowing the 35 percent that reported incidents of stolen credentials.

Interestingly, AI-driven identity attacks impacted 20 percent of respondents’ organizations. While there has been a slight decline in both stolen credentials and social-engineering attacks, phishing incidents decreased by 13 percent. Additionally, organizations reported a 8 percent decrease in brute force attacks and a 7 percent drop in man-in-the-middle attacks.

The report also highlights the importance of controls on AI usage and its potential benefits for enhancing identity security. Among surveyed organizations, human identities outnumber NHIs, with 49 percent of organizations utilizing human identities compared to 34 percent using NHIs.

Adoption of Technology and Its Impact

The report notes that 48 percent of companies have implemented specific controls for critical or high-risk identities, while 23 percent have policies in place for all identities. The integration of digital wallets has gained traction, although 35 percent of businesses remain uninterested, reflecting only a slight decline of 1 percent from the previous year’s findings.

Another significant insight is that 32 percent of respondents believe that implementing biometric authentication for all users could have prevented security incidents over the past year. Yet, this same technology is viewed with skepticism; 30 percent of organizations consider it the least likely to impact identity security in the next two to three years.

As the digital landscape evolves, organizations must remain vigilant and adaptable. The findings underscore the importance of understanding emerging threats and leveraging technology to enhance security measures in an increasingly complex identity environment.