diff --git a/internal/client-go/go.sum b/internal/client-go/go.sum
index c966c8ddfd0d..6cc3f5911d11 100644
--- a/internal/client-go/go.sum
+++ b/internal/client-go/go.sum
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ github.com/golang/protobuf v1.2.0/go.mod h1:6lQm79b+lXiMfvg/cZm0SGofjICqVBUtrP5y
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180724234803-3673e40ba225/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20190108225652-1e06a53dbb7e h1:bRhVy7zSSasaqNksaRZiA5EEI+Ei4I1nO5Jh72wfHlg=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20190108225652-1e06a53dbb7e/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
+golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20190604053449-0f29369cfe45/go.mod h1:gOpvHmFTYa4IltrdGE7lF6nIHvwfUNPOp7c8zoXwtLw=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20181221193216-37e7f081c4d4 h1:YUO/7uOKsKeq9UokNS62b8FYywz3ker1l1vDZRCRefw=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20181221193216-37e7f081c4d4/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.0/go.mod h1:NqM8EUOU14njkJ3fqMW+pc6Ldnwhi/IjpwHt7yyuwOQ=
diff --git a/persistence/sql/identity/persister_identity.go b/persistence/sql/identity/persister_identity.go
index cdbd46427d38..2709968d5f0a 100644
--- a/persistence/sql/identity/persister_identity.go
+++ b/persistence/sql/identity/persister_identity.go
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ INNER JOIN identity_credentials
     AND identity_credentials.identity_credential_type_id = (
         SELECT id
         FROM identity_credential_types
-        WHERE name = ? 
+        WHERE name = ?
      )
 WHERE identity_credentials.config ->> '%s' = ?
   AND identities.nid = ?
@@ -824,14 +824,8 @@ func (p *IdentityPersister) ListIdentities(ctx context.Context, params identity.
 		identifier := params.CredentialsIdentifier
 		identifierOperator := "="
 		if identifier == "" && params.CredentialsIdentifierSimilar != "" {
-			identifier = params.CredentialsIdentifierSimilar
-			identifierOperator = "%"
-			switch con.Dialect.Name() {
-			case "postgres", "cockroach":
-			default:
-				identifier = "%" + identifier + "%"
-				identifierOperator = "LIKE"
-			}
+			identifier = strings.ReplaceAll(strings.ReplaceAll(strings.ReplaceAll(params.CredentialsIdentifierSimilar, "\\", "\\\\"), "%", "\\%"), "_", "\\_") + "%"
+			identifierOperator = "LIKE"
 		}
 
 		if len(identifier) > 0 {
diff --git a/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.down.sql b/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..159cb60805d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+DROP INDEX identity_credential_identifiers_nid_identifier_gin;
diff --git a/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.postgres.down.sql b/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.postgres.down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..70d519fb44bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.postgres.down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS pg_trgm;
+CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS btree_gin;
+
+CREATE INDEX identity_credential_identifiers_nid_identifier_gin ON identity_credential_identifiers USING GIN (nid, identifier gin_trgm_ops);
diff --git a/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.postgres.up.sql b/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.postgres.up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..159cb60805d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.postgres.up.sql
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+DROP INDEX identity_credential_identifiers_nid_identifier_gin;
diff --git a/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.up.sql b/persistence/sql/migrations/sql/20240318143139000000_drop_identity_search_index.up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e69de29bb2d1