Latest releases of Netwrix PingCastle and Netwrix Threat Manager add visibility into AI agent identities, expand Entra ID risk coverage to over 100 risk checks, and introduce threat detection for Azure Files
FRISCO, Texas, Aug. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Netwrix, a recognized leader in identity and data security, today announced new capabilities across Netwrix PingCastle and Netwrix Threat Manager that extend identity security deeper into the Microsoft cloud, including coverage of AI agents.
Organizations are deploying AI agents faster than they can govern them. Each agent is an identity holding real permissions inside the enterprise environment, yet most exist outside any inventory, ownership, or review process. A Cloud Security Alliance survey found that fewer than a quarter of organizations have a formally adopted policy for creating or removing the identities their AI systems run on, and more than 16% don't track when a new one is created at all. The consequences are measurable: in its 2026 Data and Identity Security Report, Netwrix found a 43% breach rate among organizations where AI had significantly expanded the number of identities needing access, compared with 11% where it hadn't.
Netwrix PingCastle extends its Microsoft Entra ID coverage to 102 risk checks, extending the tool's trusted Active Directory posture assessment into the cloud identity plane. Security teams and administrators can now assess identity risk across both on-premises AD and Entra ID with the same fast, prioritized approach that has made PingCastle a community favorite.
Netwrix Threat Manager adds new visibility into AI agent identities in Microsoft Entra ID, giving security teams an inventory of the agents operating in their environment and the access they hold. That inventory is the missing foundation for most organizations: the Netwrix report found only 19% of organizations fully govern non-human identities such as service accounts and AI agents. Threat Manager already provides visibility and monitoring for another critical non-human identity category, service accounts, through actionable risk insights, abnormal-behavior detection, and attack context for faster triage; this release extends that coverage to AI agents.
The latest Netwrix Threat Manager release also adds new threat detection for Azure Files, protecting file shares against ransomware, abnormal behavior, and high-risk changes such as the creation of open access. Agent-specific threat detection is planned for a subsequent release, building on the visibility foundation delivered today.
The new capabilities complement Microsoft's native tooling with independent assessment and visibility across the Microsoft identity plane.
"Earlier this year, we gave organizations visibility into what AI agents can access. This release goes a layer deeper: which agents exist at all," said Jeff Warren, CPO at Netwrix. "Our research found fewer than one in five organizations fully govern non-human identities, and agents are the fastest-growing category. You can't review access for an identity you don't know you have."
These releases advance Netwrix's strategy to unify identity and data security. PingCastle's assessment engine already powers more than 200 checks within the company's 1Secure platform, reflecting the same independent posture assessment approach now extended deeper into the Microsoft identity plane.
Netwrix PingCastle 4.0 and Netwrix Threat Manager 3.3 are available now. To learn more, book a meeting with the Netwrix team.
About Netwrix
Netwrix's vision is to create a world where every organization has secured its data and identities. The 1Secure platform unifies identity and data security to provide complete visibility into where data lives, who can access it, and how it's governed. With Netwrix, security teams protect data, secure identities, and safeguard AI. Today, more than 13,000 organizations, including nearly 25% of the Fortune 500, trust Netwrix across hybrid and AI-driven environments. With a 95% customer satisfaction rating, Netwrix offers flexible delivery models that are quick to deploy, easy to use, and built to scale. For more information, visit www.netwrix.com.
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Senior PR Manager (US & EMEA), Netwrix
dzmitry.varennikau@netwrix.com
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