Top practices for SaaS security Management

6 min readAug 2, 2022

When it comes to SaaS security management, there are many aspects to consider. Data breaches are becoming more frequent and sophisticated, which means that a comprehensive approach is needed to protect against them. This includes implementing new technologies and policies as well as educating your employees on the value of data protection and how they can contribute towards it.

Have a SecOps team to monitor security issues

As we’ve mentioned before, there are five types of data breaches:

Data breaches caused by employees or partners.
Accidental loss or theft of PII, including when employees accidentally forward emails or fail to properly secure devices (e.g., laptops) containing sensitive data.
Hackers gaining access to systems through vulnerabilities that were not patched in a timely manner (or at all). This type of breach is most often associated with large-scale hacks such as the Equifax breach in 2017 and the Office of Personnel Management fiasco in 2015 that affected 22 million people. However, smaller companies can also be targeted by cybercriminals who have stolen credentials from other companies and use them to gain access to your systems. In fact, up to 95 percent of all data breaches could have been avoided if they had been detected earlier by an employee or partner responsible for monitoring your IT environment!

Monitor software updates and patch the system proactively.

SaaS companies should monitor software updates and patch the system proactively. Use a software update management tool that is integrated with your helpdesk to automate this process and reduce the administrative overhead involved in managing patches.

You can also use a vulnerability management tool or a vulnerability scanner, which will scan your network for known vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities that are unknown but could be exploited by hackers. You should also conduct regular security audits, penetration tests, vulnerability assessments, etc., on an annual basis to identify any security gaps in your system before hackers exploit them first!

Use SAML for secure, SSO-enabled access control

Single sign-on is a method that allows users to enter their credentials once, and then access multiple applications without signing in again. The user logs in to their account with the identity provider and then receives an authentication assertion (a token) from the identity provider that can be used to authenticate the user at other sites.
SAML is an open standard for implementing single sign-on between systems. It uses XML messages to describe communication between parties involved in an SSO process, such as identity providers and service providers.
SAML defines two roles: principal (user/customer) and service provider (SaaS application). The principal provides metadata about itself via a user profile document (which includes things like first name, last name, email address), while the service provider accepts this data along with some other information in order to perform authentication of the principal’s identity based on what they know about them from their own system’s profile information or external directory service sources such as LDAP or Active Directory Federation Services 2.

Restrict access by IP address

Restrict access by IP address. This is one of the easiest ways to protect your SaaS application from unauthorized users who may attempt a brute-force attack or an automated password guessing program, for example. To restrict access to your SaaS application in this way, you will need to first assign an IP address and port number for each user who has been granted permission to access it. Then, simply use iptables (or any other firewall software) to allow only that specific IP address through your network.
Use a firewall to protect the network. A firewall provides both inbound and outbound protection against threats such as hackers trying break into your system; however, if you only have one server on which all traffic must pass through, then this type of protection won’t do much good unless there’s some kind of security software built into its OS that blocks suspicious activity automatically before damage can occur (something like firewalls).

Enforce 2FA everywhere

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a must-have for any SaaS app.

In fact, it should be the default setting for any company that wants to keep its users safe. Why? Because when you log in to your account, you’ll be prompted by a verification code sent via SMS or email. The 2FA process prevents hackers from accessing your personal data without both your username and password — a combination that is much harder to guess than either one alone.

Two factor authentication can also be implemented with an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy — which are more secure because they generate codes that change periodically instead of using static passwords.

Encrypt data in motion and at rest

Encrypt data in motion

Encrypting data-in-motion is a key step in securing your SaaS applications, as it protects the information being transmitted from man-in-the-middle attacks and eavesdropping. To implement this security measure, use TLS for browser based web applications or SSH for terminal based web applications. If you’re looking to encrypt all traffic between application components, consider using IPSec or SSL VPNs.

Encrypt data at rest

As with protecting data in motion, encrypting your sensitive information at rest is another important way of preventing unauthorized access to user credentials and other sensitive information stored on your servers. Encryption can be implemented through file system level encryption or database level encryption (like SQL Server).

Perform periodic security audits and penetration testing

The security audit is an essential part of any SaaS environment. It allows you to test the effectiveness of your existing measures and find any areas that need improvement.

Penetration testing is a method of evaluating the security of an information system by simulating an attack on it, so that vulnerabilities can be detected before they are exploited by a malicious party. It’s also referred to as “ethical hacking” or “pen testing” because it only analyzes known vulnerabilities and does not involve breaking into systems without permission from their owners.

SaaS applications have become an integral part of our business processes. However, as a shared, multitenant platform, your data is highly vulnerable on SaaS systems. Make sure you’re following the best practices for SaaS security management to protect your critical data.

Know the strength of your password policies: A strong password policy should be enforced with password complexity requirements and regular password resets. If this isn’t happening in your organization, there is a high risk of passwords being compromised by hackers who compromise one user account and then use it to access other accounts within the same system/application environment (i.e., worm propagation).
Avoid using default credentials: There are several tools available that allow hackers to easily crack default or stolen credentials associated with privileged accounts (such as root or administrator) if they are not changed regularly or after each new software update release from vendors such as Microsoft or Oracle.

Conclusion

SaaS applications have become the go-to solution for businesses of all sizes. But as you may know, with great power comes great responsibility. It’s up to you to ensure that your SaaS applications stay secure and protected against common security threats. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take right now to help bolster your defenses against cybercriminals who want nothing more than to steal your data or get their hands on your company’s most sensitive assets.