The SaaS Security Guide: Best Practices for Securing SaaS

You can’t deny that SaaS’s undeniable scalability, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness make it an attractive solution for many businesses. However, this convenience has security risks you can’t overlook. 

Due to their everyday handling of vast amounts of sensitive data, SaaS apps have become prime targets for cyber threats. These threats can include data breaches, where malicious actors exploit vulnerabilities to access confidential information. 

In fact, the complexity and interconnected nature of SaaS environments amplifies these risks, requiring a layered and sophisticated approach to security. This approach must go beyond traditional methods and integrate advanced security protocols to protect data.

But what makes SaaS platforms complex and vulnerable to security breaches? And how can organizations fortify their defenses against these ever-present threats? This is what we’ve covered in this article. 

Explaining the SaaS architecture

Unlike traditional software installed on individual computers, SaaS applications are hosted on remote servers. So users can access them via the web or APIs. A SaaS application is divided into three layers:

• The infrastructure (servers, databases)
• The platform (where the application is built)
• The software itself

SaaS architecture is multi-tenant, where a single application instance serves multiple customers or 'tenants.' Each tenant's data and usage are isolated, but the underlying infrastructure and application code are shared. This setup streamlines updates, scalability, and resource optimization. 

Here’s how:

• When the service provider rolls out a new update, it's implemented across all tenants simultaneously instead of implementing updates individually. 
• Seamlessly scale Saas to accommodate increasing users or a growing data load without extensive reconfiguration. Each tenant can easily scale their usage up or down based on their needs without impacting others. 
• Instead of each tenant requiring separate physical resources, the shared infrastructure allows collective usage by multiple tenants, which reduces costs and enhances overall efficiency. 

Despite these benefits, SaaS is vulnerable to security breaches since it’s hosted on the cloud.

SaaS is vulnerable to security breaches

Here’s what makes software-as-a-service applications vulnerable to security threats: 

Flaws in a multi-tenant architecture

In a multi-tenant SaaS architecture, data from different customers reside on the same server. Suppose the isolation between tenants is not robust. In that case, a flaw in the system can lead to one tenant inadvertently accessing another's data. This is how a breach compromises confidentiality and leads to the leakage of sensitive information.

Open access from anywhere 

Since anyone can access a SaaS app from any location, there is a high risk of unauthorized access. Attackers might use phishing scams to acquire user credentials or exploit weak passwords. 

Such breaches can undermine the data integrity and result in unauthorized viewing, modification, or deletion of sensitive information from the software.

Integration with other applications 

SaaS platforms often integrate with other applications via APIs. If these APIs are not securely designed, attackers can use them as gateways to infiltrate and access sensitive data. Thus, it leads to widespread data exposure—compromising multiple systems beyond just the SaaS application.

Dependency on vendor's security

Customers are reliant on their SaaS vendor's security measures. If the vendor fails to maintain high-security standards, the system becomes vulnerable to attacks. This makes it risky because customers have limited control over the vendor's security measures and protocols employed on the system.

These vulnerabilities emphasize the need for a multi-layered security approach in platforms that requires both security measures by providers and vigilant practices by users.

Case study: SaaS security breach in a US-based regional healthcare provider

The healthcare sector, with its wealth of sensitive patient data, is a prime target for cybercriminals. 

In 2022, Shields Health Care Group, a US-based regional healthcare provider, suffered a significant data breach. The group lost 2 million patients' healthcare records. This breach primarily occurred because an unauthorized user gained access using a compromised credential. 

What makes this incident particularly alarming is not just the breach itself but the manner in which it unfolded and was addressed.

Despite this, it wasn’t surfaced as suspicious until more than two weeks of use. Upon discovery, an investigation ensued—leading to the conclusion that no data had been extracted. 

However, this was a premature assessment. It was later found that files containing highly sensitive patient PII, regulated by HIPAA, had been removed. These files included medical record numbers, patient IDs, and detailed medical and treatment information. 

This breach happened because of a basic belief in digital security: thinking that they are a trusted user just because someone has the right login details. Having this kind of thinking can be a real problem. 

Once attackers bypass the initial login barrier, they encounter minimal resistance in systems and can easily move laterally within the system. This breach highlights a critical flaw—once authentication is achieved, the scrutiny of user actions diminishes. 

Doing so leaves a wide room for data extraction and other malicious activities to go undetected. In this case, the extraction of sensitive patient data had far-reaching implications regarding privacy violations and misuse of this information by other bad actors.

Therefore, here are three core basics to prevent similar breaches:

• Continuously monitor your user actions.
• Enhance the visibility within SaaS applications.
• Apply a more nuanced approach to user activity and data access.

6 top strategies for securing Saas

Securing a SaaS environment requires a multi-faceted approach, encompassing robust policies, technologies, and continuous monitoring. The following strategies offer a roadmap for enhancing the security posture of SaaS applications.

1) Multi-factor authentication (also known as MFA)

Implementing multi-factor authentication reduces the risk of unauthorized access to the system. It asks for additional forms of identification, such as a text message code or biometric authentication, along with their password. MFA's integration makes it difficult for attackers to access systems illegally. 

Next, defining user roles and permissions also ensures that individuals have access only to the data and functions necessary for their role. This minimizes the potential impact of a compromised account.

2) Zero trust approach

The zero trust approach is a security model that operates on the principle of "never trust, always verify." In its implementation, every access request, irrespective of its origin within or outside the network, is thoroughly verified. 

This model emphasizes implementing strict access controls, employing methods like least privilege access, micro-segmentation, and dynamic/attribute based access controls to leave zero chances for attacks. 

Simply put, zero trust approach:

• Prevent internal and external data breaches.
• Offer a flexible and scalable framework.
• Helps adapt to evolving threats and changing organizational needs.

(Learn more about zero trust here)

3) Cloud access security brokers (CASBs)

Cloud access security brokers (CASBs) function as intermediaries and enforce security policies to monitor user activities between SaaS users and cloud service providers. Their deployment includes: 

• Controlling access
• Encrypting sensitive data 
• Implementing data loss prevention strategies
• Detecting threats

CASBs enhance visibility and control over data movement and SaaS usage.

4) Threat intelligence and behavior analytics

Implementing threat intelligence and behavior analytics means setting up systems to collect and analyze data on emerging threats and monitoring user activities to detect unusual behavior patterns. 

In fact, the specific focus on behavior analytics quickly identifies and counteracts threats before they escalate to improve the response to security incidents. 

5) Incorporating emerging technologies

AI and ML detect real-time threats by analyzing large data sets to identify malicious patterns. In the same way, blockchain offers secure and decentralized data management, adding an extra layer of security for data integrity and confidentiality. 

These emerging technologies enhance authentication methods and ensure secure data sharing and privacy.

6) Cloud security posture management (also known as CSPM)

CSPM is a practice to monitor and manage the security posture of cloud environments. They automate the identification and remediation of security risks—providing comprehensive visibility into cloud assets and potential misconfigurations. 

By implementing these SaaS security strategies, organizations can strengthen the security of their SaaS platforms and protect against evolving cyber threats. 

Roadmap to achieving SaaS security 

Now that you know the core strategies to overcome security problems, here’s a step-by-step roadmap to secure SaaS architecture from scratch:

• Establish strong authentication and access controls. 
• Deploy monitoring tools to flag unusual patterns, such as a user accessing large volumes of data or logging in from unusual locations, prompting an immediate investigation.
• Conduct comprehensive audits covering data encryption, API security, and third-party integrations to ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
• Encrypt sensitive data because it remains unreadable and secure even if it’s intercepted or accessed by unauthorized parties. 
• Train your SaaS users on using your software and guide them about potential threats.

Incorporating these steps can set up an efficient defense against potential breaches. 

Protect your SaaS from security threats 

Securing SaaS platforms requires a balance of provider-driven security measures and vigilant user practices. While the vulnerabilities of SaaS, like multi-tenant architecture and open web access, pose significant risks, a combination of strong authentication controls and continuous monitoring help with effective defense.