In today’s digital landscape, many organizations heavily depend on Software as a Service (SaaS) for crucial business operations, necessitating the use of SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) tools. SSPM solutions, while integral, represent just one facet of a broader SaaS Identity risk management strategy. SaaS-Identity risk management is an emerging category the focuses on the intersection of identities and SaaS apps, mitigating risk at the most foundational level — accounts and access.  

The Significance of SaaS Security and Increase of Identity Risks

The growing prevalence of remote workforces, access from anywhere and to anything, shifts organizations toward cloud solutions — specifically SaaS services, web apps, and business-led IT strategies. As this shift accelerates, it introduces new layers of complexity and risk, particularly around managing and securing identities across a sprawling SaaS ecosystem. Traditional security measures are often ill-equipped to handle the dynamic nature of SaaS environments, making it imperative for organizations to adopt specialized solutions that can address these emerging identity risks effectively. Failing to do so not only leaves sensitive data vulnerable but also undermines an organization’s overall security.

Understanding SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM)

Naturally, most security teams acknowledge that SaaS services have become pivotal for business operations. Since these applications are cloud-based, they necessitate a specific security posture that allows enterprises to work efficiently while reducing their risk profile. SSPM refers to a collection of automated security tools and processes devised to monitor and manage threats within SaaS applications. SSPM focuses on resolving these key issues:

1. Configuration: Ensuring the correct and secure setup of applications.

1. Privileges: Identifying excessive administrator permissions among end users.

1. Access: Determining who can access the application, including integrations or service accounts.

1. Activity: Monitoring the usage patterns of the application.

How SSPM Operates

While each SaaS application differs, SSPM provides a uniform approach to risk management. SSPM solutions integrate into the interface of a SaaS application, scanning it for user permissions or configurations that deviate from internal policies or regulatory guidelines. The benefits of SSPM encompass:

1. Enhanced visibility within the SaaS layer.

1. Augmented security.

1. Activity monitoring.

1. Cost savings.

SSPM is a valuable component of SaaS security, but it should not be considered a standalone solution.

Limitations of SSPM in Identity Risk Management

Although SSPM offers valuable features, it’s not without its limitations. SaaS applications are dynamic, often customizable, and developers frequently release patches and updates. This rapid pace of SaaS development can challenge SSPM solutions in keeping up while also ensuring seamless integration with other security solutions.  

Furthermore, even if SSPM identifies and rectifies misconfigurations, it doesn’t provide comprehensive identity control or impose restrictions on what end users can upload or download from an application. This leaves a significant risk wherein contractors, consultants, interns, or former employees could potentially misuse sensitive company data.

Moreover, while cloud computing is efficient, it carries a single point of failure (SPOF) risk. Without built-in hardware and software redundancies, a malfunctioning switch or router could disrupt access to SaaS applications.

Why (Most) SSPM Solutions Fall Short

Unfortunately, relying solely on SSPMs leaves exposures in identity and SaaS security. SSPMs help with misconfigurations but may not provide insights into the specific users with SaaS and cloud accounts, let alone being able to identify when users create new accounts, share credentials, or abandon SaaS apps that were never connected to SSPM or even known to the security or identity teams.  

Additionally, depending on your chosen SSPM, you may encounter incomplete support for certain applications, resulting in gaps in your security framework and heightened risk exposure.

Whether you are a nimble startup or a multinational conglomerate, chances are you rely on various SaaS solutions. This entails managing numerous applications housing sensitive information and the associated risks, including SaaS identity sprawl, risky retained (dangling) access, and susceptibility to weak credentials.  

Understanding SaaS Identity Risk Management

Now let’s shift the focus to protecting the identities that access SaaS apps. SaaS identity risk management (SIRM) is a cybersecurity solution tailored to tackle the specific risks tied to identity management within an organization’s SaaS environment. This product category prioritizes the detection and management of identity-related vulnerabilities across multiple SaaS platforms and web applications. By addressing issues such as identity sprawl and the use of unsanctioned or unsecured SaaS services, SIRM aims to deliver robust protection, ensuring that SaaS applications remain secure, compliant, and free from identity-based threats.

SIRM tools, like Grip, differ from SSPM in various ways:

1. Scope of coverage. While SSPM is concerned with the security posture of a limited set of known SaaS applications, SIRM encompasses the entire SaaS landscape.

1. Identity-centric approach. SIRM leverages identity as the control point, providing visibility into identity sprawl and shadow SaaS– areas that SSPM might miss.

1. Comprehensive risk management. While SSPM may operate in silos for specific security functions, SIRM looks at the interconnected nature of risks within a SaaS environment, considering how a breach in one application may impact multiple systems and services.

Overall, SIRM is a more holistic and identity-focused approach to managing security in SaaS environment, addressing a range of risks that extend beyond the capabilities of traditional SSPM tools.

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Exposures Within the SaaS Identity Risk Landscape

The SaaS Identity risk landscape is unique to each enterprise and an open door for bad actors when left unguarded. Modern work and business-led IT strategies create the conditions for the expansion of SaaS services, accounts among users, and enterprise identity perimeter. Some of these exposures include:

1. Shadow SaaS: Certain SaaS applications may be sanctioned, controlled, and monitored by your IT department. However, business-led IT initiatives can introduce shadow SaaS—applications that various teams install and utilize without IT’s knowledge or oversight. This under-the-radar usage could unintentionally expose your organization to security breaches and data loss.

1. Shared or Dangling Access: Despite training on best practices, employees still use weak or duplicate passwords. Worse still, a department or team might share a set of credentials to access a SaaS application. In the absence of a centralized onboarding and offboarding policy, former employees or contractors might retain access to SaaS programs and, consequently, sensitive data even after leaving the organization.

Leveraging Grip for SaaS Identity Risk Management

Grip’s SaaS Security Control Plane (SSCP) distinguishes itself from SSPM and other SaaS tools by offering comprehensive visibility across the SaaS identity risk landscape. Grip enables security and IT teams to discover shadow SaaS and rogue accounts, uncovering who is using them and how they are accessing them, plus prioritize identity sprawl risks for mitigation and remediation. Grip’s holistic approach to SaaS identity risk management includes:

Discovering All SaaS Usage

Grip provides a comprehensive and automated discovery process that uncovers all SaaS apps and cloud accounts used within the organization. No apps or accounts remain hidden.

Prioritizing SaaS Identity Risks

Security teams can prioritize risks based on their severity and potential impact on the organization’s security posture. High priority issues can be addressed promptly.

Securing Shadow SaaS and Rogue Cloud Accounts

Grip actively detects and secures shadow SaaS applications and rogue cloud accounts that often go undetected. Providing visibility allows security teams to take action and reduce costs.

Orchestrating Risk Mitigation or Remediation

Grip provides actionable steps security teams can take in response to identified risks. It offers automated incident response capabilities, enabling rapid and effective resolution of risks. 

Grip simplifies and secures the intersection of SaaS services and enterprise identities, enabling the most value from SSPM tools with continuous discovery, analysis, and tracking to mitigate SaaS Identity risk.

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A New Era of SaaS Identity Risk

The rapid advancement of SaaS and AI technologies has ushered in a new era of identity risk, characterized by increasing complexity and heightened vulnerability. What were once straightforward user identities have now evolved into an interconnected and sprawling web, making them prime targets for cyber attackers who love to exploit the intersection of SaaS accounts and enterprise identities. Despite significant investments in SaaS security posture management and SSPM tools, the persistence of SaaS-related risks underscores the reality that securing these identities is more challenging than ever. Grip delivers a cutting-edge solution, designed to help organizations navigate the modern and intricate landscape, effectively identifying and mitigating the unique identity risks posed by today’s SaaS and AI-driven environments. With Grip, you can take a more robust and proactive stance in safeguarding your SaaS identities, ensuring your SaaS environment is secure, even as employees adopt SaaS independently.

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Take the next step in securing your SaaS environment. See your risks and uncover the gaps in your security controls with a free SaaS identity risk assessment.

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This article was first published in September 2023 and was updated in August 2024 for accuracy and relevance.