Picture a bot in your finance system running with the same access as a senior accountant. This bot handles hundreds of transactions, often with a service account that's not tied to any real person. If the credentials leak or a script goes wrong, there’s no easy way to trace what happened—let alone stop the damage quickly.
Unattended bots usually have wide-reaching permissions because restricting them breaks automation. Service accounts shared across bots and humans hide who did what, which makes insider threats and credential theft harder to spot. RPA platforms rely on brittle scripts that might bypass normal checks in the user interface. And since many bots need to work with clunky old apps that don’t offer APIs, developers fall back on risky screen scraping and storing passwords in plain text.
RPA bots often have access to the juiciest systems: finance, HR, and IT admin panels. That's what makes them high-value targets for attackers—and high-pressure security gaps for your operation. For a deeper look at which workflows carry these risks, check out this primer on automation risks.
A finance team schedules a bot to process invoices. The bot runs overnight but fails one task and dumps error logs with full account numbers to a shared folder. Next morning, someone grabs those logs and finds hardcoded service account credentials in the message. Scenario like this isn't rare.
Typical RPA vulnerabilities fall into patterns:
It's not just theory. Each of these routes has caused actual breaches. For more on risky automation patterns, see automation risks.
Start with secrets sprawl. You might see bot credentials saved in plaintext configs or floating around in chat threads. Lock those down in a purpose-built secrets vault, limiting each bot to only the creds it needs for a task. Rotate them often and if possible, switch to just-in-time secrets so bots don't hold long-lived access.
Next, cut privilege creep. Set up role-based access control for bots and operators. Give every bot the least privilege it needs—no more. Review those entitlements monthly or after any workflow change.
Script review helps, too. Enforce peer code reviews and sign your automation scripts. Use strict input validation on all bot parameters, files, and queue items to block injection attacks.
Build network fences. Place bots in segmented zones with tight egress restrictions to control where they can reach, and standardize patching across host machines, runtimes, and every library your bots touch.
Want deeper workflow-level security issues? See this breakdown of automation risks.
You’ve got a bot moving money at 2 a.m., and suddenly, support can’t trace who kicked it off or what it did. That’s a breakdown waiting to happen in both forensics and compliance reviews. Start by funneling all RPA actions—logins, data touches, admin events—into a centralized, immutable log. Use systems that make logs tamper-evident and keep every log clock in sync.
Force bot runs to reference a change ticket or ticketed owner, so every automated action ties back to a human accountable. Set alerts when bots run privileged actions or do things at strange hours. Make sure you’re capturing session metadata and redact any sensitive fields before logs leave the host.
Baseline normal queue activity, then watch for sudden spikes or odd bot patterns. Sync all this with your identity governance tooling, which you can tighten up even more using IAM best practices.
A lone RPA bot that triggers payment runs, approves invoices, and sets up new vendors might look efficient. However, if that bot’s credentials are compromised, a single breach can spread everywhere, granting access to critical systems and data with no oversight.
Strong separation of duties is foundational for secure automation. Without it, attackers—or insiders—have an easy path to exploit multiple functions at once.
Consider building strict separation into your workflows by following these best practices:
Strong segregation doesn’t just stop one person or bot from running wild. It also helps ensure compliance and keeps your auditors and risk team confident in your controls.
Curious about other risk guardrails you should consider? Take a look at additional automation risks for a comprehensive approach to governance.
Do bots need separate identities from human users?
Yes. Bots should have their own service accounts with clear ownership and the minimum permissions to do their job. Mixing bot and human access hides accountability and makes it tough to track incidents.
Is a password vault enough to stop credential theft in RPA?
Not by itself. Use a vault that supports app-level access, rotate secrets often, and disable direct human access to stored credentials. Hardcoding or sharing vault keys defeats the purpose.
How do I secure attended bots on employee desktops?
Lock down bot files and config to user-only access. Avoid saving credentials on disk, use the OS secure store when possible, and monitor for odd process behavior.
What should I log for audits without exposing sensitive data?
Capture:
For more detail, see this [IAM best practices] guide.
