Hush Security Launches to Replace Legacy Vaults with Secretless Access
▼ Summary
– Hush Security raised $11 million in seed funding led by Battery Ventures and YL Ventures to advance its secretless access technology.
– The company replaces traditional vaults and secrets with just-in-time, policy-driven access controls that adapt dynamically at runtime.
– Hush’s approach eliminates operational overhead and security risks associated with static credentials, especially in AI-driven and cloud environments.
– Its technology provides runtime visibility, posture analysis, and prevention capabilities, built on the SPIFFE framework for zero-trust access.
– Gartner predicts 40% of organizations will adopt secretless approaches by 2027, as traditional methods struggle with modern infrastructure and AI agents.
A new player in the cybersecurity landscape has emerged with a fresh approach to securing machine-to-machine communication. Hush Security has secured $11 million in seed funding from Battery Ventures and YL Ventures, aiming to transform how enterprises manage access controls. The company introduces a policy-driven, just-in-time access model that operates during runtime, effectively replacing traditional vaults and static secrets. This method not only speeds up operations but significantly reduces the security risks associated with older credential-based systems.
Gartner’s industry analysts predict that by 2027, almost half of all organizations will shift to secretless architectures. The rationale is straightforward: traditional secrets management tools were built for slower, more static IT settings and struggle with today’s cloud infrastructures, automation, and swift integration of AI systems. Instead of mitigating risk, these older frameworks simply hold it. Many newer solutions offer only snapshot visibility rather than ongoing prevention, resulting in security gaps and increasing operational complexity for development teams.
Hush Security was established by the team that previously created Meta Networks, later acquired by Proofpoint in 2019. The company advocates for a policy-driven framework that enforces least-privilege access based on actual runtime behavior rather than static permissions. This approach enables teams to provide precisely tailored access that is continuously validated.
Micha Rave, CEO of Hush Security, argues that relying on monitoring dashboards and tracking secrets no longer effectively prevents security breaches. He notes, “The era of vaults is behind us, as they were suited to a time of slow system evolution before the rise of AI.” With today’s standard use of AI agents, temporary workloads, and automation, the traditional model has become outdated. Hush Security has completely eliminated credentials from the process, pioneering a fundamentally new approach to managing machine access.
The platform offers three essential features for both cloud and on-premises settings: runtime visibility and discovery. It continuously identifies and maps all workloads, services, and AI agents from development through to live operation.
Barak Schoster, a Partner at Battery Ventures, remarked, “We are at a pivotal moment. Static credentials fail to keep up with the pace of modern infrastructure, fast-paced development protocols, or AI-driven operations. The skilled team and sophisticated technology at Hush provide a dynamic, policy-based solution, marking a shift away from credential-focused vulnerabilities.
Hush utilizes a patent-pending technology grounded in the SPIFFE framework to establish a cohesive, zero-trust access model. This approach seamlessly integrates security, DevOps, and development into a single, transparent system. It effectively prevents secret sprawl, eases compliance, and secures everything from microservices to AI agents without the operational complications or visibility issues found in older systems.
Yoav Leitersdorf, Managing Partner at YL Ventures, remarked that machine identity security is undergoing rapid transformation, with Hush leading this transition towards policy-based protection. This approach is increasingly vital as AI agents and large language models become more prevalent. Hush has crafted the right solution at the opportune time. With a clear vision and effective execution, they are poised to redefine the standards of machine identity safety.
Though remaining under the radar, Hush has secured numerous paying enterprise clients, including several Fortune 500 companies. The recent funding will boost engineering growth and speed up global market entry strategies.
To aid organizations in starting their transition, Hush provides a free assessment tool designed to detect secrets like API keys, credentials, and service accounts within code. This tool not only identifies their owners but also tracks their runtime usage across applications, services, and AI agents, offering a comprehensive view from code to cloud to AI. With a single click, companies can upgrade to the enterprise version and achieve a fully secretless architecture, effectively eliminating secret sprawl.
(Source: HelpNet Security)
