{"id":19197,"date":"2022-05-20T18:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-05-20T12:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/?p=19197"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T04:24:00","slug":"saas-security-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/saas-security-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"SaaS Security Assessment: Important Tips & 7 Best Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

94% of all technical professionals use SaaS-based solutions and 73% of all businesses are planning to move all systems to SaaS by the end of 2022. So, we won’t be wrong to say that Software as a Service is all the rage. And why not? SaaS applications offer your business agility and scalability like never before. The accessibility of the data is on point, SaaS providers are always on their toes to increase operational speed, and mitigate any issue you might face. But like most good things, SaaS comes with a hiccup i.e. security. That is why we will be talking about SaaS security assessment in this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What is SaaS Security?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SaaS security is an umbrella term that covers all defensive and offensive measures taken by SaaS providers to make their applications, and services safe for the users. It includes but isn’t limited to firewalls, access controls, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since we’ll be talking about SaaS security assessment, our discussion will revolve largely around VAPT. But we’ll also make general best practices for saas security<\/a>, and various principles and policies, part of the discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Why is Security Assessment Vital for SaaS Companies? <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SaaS is the natural destination for businesses trying to achieve more with less. Adopting software as a service means moving towards better productivity, more speed, and faster innovation. You cannot take these away from SaaS solutions even for the sake of security. But when a SaaS provider is attacked and exploited, it affects hundreds of businesses that depend in some way or the other on the said SaaS provider.<\/p>\n\n\n

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SaaS security assessment by Astra<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

So, SaaS applications are always on, always reachable targets, overshared, and needlessly authorized by users who misunderstand the security audit logs which desperately try to monitor disparate information. It is just as messy as it sounds in the previous sentence. As a result, SaaS apps exist as constant security threats to the millions of businesses that use them, and to the providers of such apps and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What are the Primary SaaS Security Challenges?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We can divide the security challenges of SaaS applications and services into five categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Adversaries:<\/strong> There can be external malicious actors trying to hack into your SaaS app through a common vulnerability. For instance, a hacker could take advantage of a lack of input validation in your SaaS app to slip malicious code into it and gain access to sensitive information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Privileged Activity: <\/strong>We often lose track of people who have privileged access to our SaaS applications. It opens doors for former or current employees to cause harm by tampering with data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Accidental Activity: <\/strong>As we mentioned earlier, a large percentage of SaaS security breaches are caused by human error. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 99% of all cloud security<\/a> failures will be caused by human error. This includes using weak passwords, falling prey to phishing emails, revealing sensitive information by mistake, etc. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Insider Threat<\/strong>: This is especially applicable for businesses with crucial intellectual property. Insider threat examples<\/a> include malicious insiders exploiting their privileged access. SaaS applications are often used for sharing sensitive information, developing ideas, creating prototypes, etc. An insider with malicious intent can take advantage of their privileged access to the SaaS platform to leak or sell this information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Zero-Day Vulnerabilities<\/strong>: These are software security vulnerabilities<\/a> that sit undetected until they are exploited by attackers. When a SaaS service provider has a zero-day vulnerability, it can affect all the customers depending on the said SaaS provider at the time of the attack.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    <\/span>Best Security Practices for SaaS Providers and Users<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In this section, we will talk about principles and habits you can encourage and explore within your enterprise to make SaaS security as simple as possible. These tips will eventually help you with your general security acumen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Protect Account Access<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    We have already discussed how granting admin-level access to an application to too many people can affect your security. You should always grant access to someone for a certain period, and then renew access when required. This ensures that someone who’s no longer associated with your business doesn’t retain access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Apart from this, you need to monitor access regularly. Monitor the privileges granted to certain employees, and their behavior on the application. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It’s on you to encourage and enable responsible usage. Make it easier for people to gain access to a service when they need it so that they do not hesitate to relinquish access when they no longer require it.<\/p>\n\n\n