SaaS applications contain a wealth of sensitive data and are central to business operations. Despite this, far too many organizations rely on half measures and hope their SaaS stack will remain secure. Unfortunately, this approach is lacking and will leave security teams blind to threat prevention and detection, as well as open to regulatory violations, data leaks, and significant breaches.
If you understand the importance of SaaS security, and need some help explaining it internally to get your team's buy-in, this article is just for you — and covers:
- Why SaaS data needs to be secured
- Real-world examples of SaaS apps attacks
- The attack surface of SaaS apps
- Other types of less suitable solutions including CASB or manual audit
- ROI of an SSPM
- What to look for in the right SSPM
What Is in Your SaaS Data?
Nearly all business operations run through SaaS. So does HR, sales, marketing, product development, legal, and finance, in fact, SaaS apps are central to nearly every business function, and the data that supports and drives those functions are stored in these cloud-based apps.
This includes sensitive customer data, employee records, intellectual property, budget plans, legal contracts, P&L statements – the list is endless.
It is true that SaaS apps are built securely, however, the shared responsibility model that ensures that SaaS vendors include the controls needed to secure an application, leaves their customers the ones who are ultimately accountable and in control of hardening their environments and making sure they are properly configured. Applications typically have hundreds of settings, and thousands of user permissions, and when admins and security teams don't fully understand the implications of settings that are unique to specific applications, it leads to risky security gaps.
SaaS Applications ARE Under Attack
Headlines have shown that SaaS applications are getting the attention of threat actors. An attack on Snowflake led to one company exposing over 500 million customer records. A phishing campaign in Azure Cloud compromised the accounts of several senior executives. A breach at a major telecom provider exposed files containing sensitive information for over 63,000 employees.
Threats are real, and they are increasing. Cybercriminals are using brute force and password spray attacks with regularity, accessing applications that could withstand these types of attacks with an SSPM to harden access controls and an Identity Threat Detection & Response (ITDR) capability to detect these threats.
One breach by threat actors can have significant financial and operational repercussions. Introducing an SSPM prevents many threats from arising due to hardened configurations, and ensures ongoing operations. When coupled with a SaaS-centric ITDR solution, it provides full 360-degree protection.
You can read more about each breach in this blog series.
What Is the SaaS Attack Surface?
The attack surface includes a number of areas that threat actors use for unauthorized access into a company's SaaS applications.
Misconfigurations
Misconfigured settings can allow unknown users to access applications, exfiltrate data, create new users, and interfere with business operations.
Identity-First Security
Weak or compromised credentials can expose SaaS apps to attack. This includes not having MFA turned on, weak password requirements, broad user permissions, and permissive guest settings. This kind of poor entitlement management, especially in complex applications such as Salesforce and Workday, can lead to unnecessary access that can be exploited if the account is exposed.
The identity attack surface extends from human accounts to non-human identities (NHI). NHIs are often granted extensive permissions and are frequently unmonitored. Threat actors who can take control of these identities often have a full range of access within the application. NHIs include shadow applications, OAuth integrations, service accounts, and API Keys, and more.
Additionally, there are other attack surfaces within identity protection:
- Identity's Devices: High-privileged users with poor hygiene devices can expose data through malware on their device
- Data Security: Resources that are shared using public links are in danger of leaks. These include documents, repositories, strategic presentations, and other shared files.
GenAI
When threat actors gain entry into an app with GenAI activated, they can use the tool to quickly find a treasure trove of sensitive data relating to company IP, strategic vision, sales data, sensitive customer information, employee data, and more.
Can SaaS Applications Be Secured with CASBs or Manual Audits?
The answer is no. Manual audits are insufficient here. Changes happen far too rapidly, and there is too much on the line to rely on an audit conducted periodically.
CASBs, once believed to be the ideal SaaS security tool, are also insufficient. They require extensive customization and can't cover the different attack surfaces of SaaS applications. They create security blindness by focusing on pathways and ignoring user behavior within the application itself.
SSPM is the only solution that understands the complexities of configurations and the interrelationship between users, devices, data, permissions, and applications. This depth of coverage is exactly what's needed to prevent sensitive information from reaching the hands.
In the recent Cloud Security Alliance Annual SaaS Security Survey Report: 2025 CISO Plans & Priorities, 80% of respondents reported that SaaS security was a priority. Fifty-six percent increased their SaaS security staff, and 70% had either a dedicated SaaS security team or role. These statistics present a major leap in SaaS security maturity and CISO priorities.
What Is the Return on Investment (ROI) with an SSPM Solution?
Determining ROI on your SaaS application is actually something you can calculate.
Forrester Research conducted this type of ROI report earlier this year. They looked at the costs, savings, and processes of a $10B global media and information service company, and found that they achieved an ROI of 201%, with a net present value of $1.46M and payback for their investment in less than 6 months.
You can also begin to calculate the value of increased SaaS Security Posture by identifying the actual number of breaches that have taken place and the cost of those breaches (not to mention the unquantifiable measurement of reputational damage). Add to that the cost of manually monitoring and securing SaaS applications, as well as the time it takes to locate a configuration drift and fix it without a solution. Subtract the total benefits of an SSPM solution, to establish your annual net benefits from SSPM.
An ROI calculation makes it easier for those controlling the budget to allocate funds for an SSPM.
Request a demo to learn what SSPM is all about
Selecting the Right SSPM Platform
While all SSPMs are designed to secure SaaS applications, there can be quite a disparity between the breadth and depth of security that they offer. Considering that nearly every SaaS application contains some degree of sensitive information, look for an SSPM that:
- covers a broader range of integrations out-of-the-box and also supports custom, homegrown apps. Make sure it even monitors your social media accounts.
- has the ability to monitor users and their devices
- gives visibility into connected applications
- is able to detect shadow apps with capabilities to protect GenAI apps as the proliferation of GenAI within SaaS apps is a major security concern.
- includes comprehensive Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) to prevent unwanted activity while detecting and responding to threats.
SaaS applications form the backbone of modern corporate IT. When trying to justify SSPM prioritization and investment, be sure to stress the value of the data it protects, the threats encircling applications, and ROI.
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