Today, organizations can’t ignore the value and potential of SaaS services. However, their benefits are only meaningful if these services are secure and free from risk. At Wing, we believe the detail is in the data. Our data team continuously conducts research to uncover pivotal insights to guide our innovation. This ensures our products deliver genuine security value to SaaS-using organizations.
In this article, we will share our insights and highlight the most striking findings from our research on breaches. We’ll delve into the research conducted by our Data team, examining the statistics and insights into how breached apps are more common than we often think. We’ll explore effective strategies to safeguard your SaaS applications and understand how SSPM (SaaS Security Posture Management) can play a vital role in data breach prevention.
The Growing Threat of Data Breaches in SaaS Applications
Data breaches have become a significant concern for businesses, many stemming from SaaS applications. Given SaaS’ quick onboarding and time to value, it’s no surprise that its popularity has grown. However, it has also attracted threat actors with bad intentions who look to take advantage of this rapid adoption.
Simply put, SaaS breaches involve unauthorized access to a company’s data, applications, or services. This can occur through misconfigured apps, inadequate access controls, vulnerable third-party integrations, and human error. Breaches can lead to information theft, non-compliance with regulations, and loss of customer trust.
For these reasons, timely threat alerts and quick breach reporting are non-negotiable. Organizations need immediate threat detection capabilities to detect and remediate issues as soon as they arise. This ultimately enables quick reactions, minimizing breach impacts and ensuring regulatory compliance. Implementing such capabilities enhances an organization’s security posture and resilience against evolving SaaS threats.
4 Findings on SaaS Breaches
Wing collected data from 492 SaaS environments in June 2024, highlighting the prevalence of SaaS breaches:
- 95% of organizations use an app that was breached within the past year: This means that almost all organizations in our study were exposed to a data breach, indicating a widespread vulnerability. It suggests that relying on app providers’ security measures alone is insufficient.
- 50% of organizations had more than 8 apps breached within the past year: Half of all organizations experienced breaches in 8 or more apps, revealing that multiple vulnerabilities exist across an organization’s SaaS Stack. This emphasizes the need for a broad security approach rather than focusing on just a few high-profile apps.
- 1 out of 7 organizations use an app that was breached and is found in less than 1% of organizations: This reveals that employees use lesser-known SaaS applications, expanding the organization’s attack surface and presenting new security challenges that are hard to monitor. These apps may have weaker security protocols and may be missed by IT or security teams.
- In 74% of organizations, breaches occurred in apps used by only 1 user: Nearly three-quarters of organizations had a single-user app breached, questioning the benefits versus the risks of adopting an app for a single user. These apps often evade IT and security teams, making them attractive entry points for attackers.
How to Prevent SaaS Breaches
To mitigate the risk of SaaS breaches, companies can take several proactive steps:
Reduce the Attack Surface: Regularly manage and oversee SaaS applications to identify and eliminate vulnerabilities. Automated discovery and oversight ensure continuous monitoring so you can quickly address any emerging threats.
Correct Access Permissions: Ensure access permissions are properly set and regularly reviewed to prevent unauthorized access. SSPM monitors for Insider threats and other risks introduced through improper and ineffective access control management.
Secure Configuration: Ensure all SaaS applications are correctly configured and adhere to security best practices. Regular audits and compliance checks can help maintain the integrity of these configurations.
SaaS Supply Chain Risk Management: Thoroughly vet third-party SaaS applications to ensure they are secure. This includes assessing their security policies, practices, and any certifications they may hold.
Manage AI SaaS Risks: Implement controls to manage risks associated with AI in SaaS, particularly concerning how AI models handle and learn from data. This includes ensuring AI algorithms do not inadvertently introduce vulnerabilities or compromise data privacy.
Why SSPM is the Answer
Based on the stats above, breaches in SaaS applications are likely more common than many realize. Understanding the nature of these breaches, their impacts, and the data highlighting their prevalence is crucial for any organization utilizing SaaS. By implementing robust security measures and continually managing their SaaS environment, companies can reduce their vulnerability to these increasing threats and protect their valuable data and reputation.
A SaaS Security Posture Management solution is indispensable for organizations needing to enhance their security posture and effectively deal with security breaches. SSPM streamlines and automates critical functions such as threat detection and incident response, enabling security teams to operate with greater efficiency and scalability. By automating routine tasks, organizations can proactively identify and mitigate security risks, ensuring faster and more effective responses to breaches.
