What is SaaS Security Posture Management?
SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) refers to a set of practices and tools used to manage and optimize the security of cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications.
The goal of SSPM is to ensure that SaaS applications are configured and used securely, and that any security risks or vulnerabilities are quickly identified and addressed. SSPM involves monitoring and analyzing data related to user access, authentication, data usage, and network traffic to identify potential security issues.
SSPM tools also typically provide automated compliance checks, threat intelligence feeds, and risk scoring algorithms to help security teams prioritize their efforts and respond to security incidents more effectively. Overall, SSPM is an essential component of any cloud security strategy, as it helps organizations reduce their risk exposure and maintain compliance with relevant regulations and standards.
Before we take a deeper dive into SSPM, let’s take a step back and outline what a strong cybersecurity posture looks like.
What is a Strong Security Posture?
A strong cybersecurity posture involves an organization's overall security strategy and measures implemented to protect its digital assets and infrastructure from cyber threats. It is achieved through a combination of people, processes, and technology to effectively prevent, detect, and respond to security incidents.
Key elements of a strong cybersecurity posture include:
- Risk assessments: Regularly performing SaaS risk assessments to identify areas that need to be addressed.
- Policies and procedures: Developing and enforcing strong security policies and procedures for internal employees and external 3rd parties and contractors.
- Employee training: Providing regular cybersecurity awareness training to employees to help them identify and avoid potential threats such as phishing attacks and malware. Beyond regular security awareness training, it is strongly recommended to engage with business users on a regular cadence to affirm security best practices.
- Access controls: Implementing strong access controls to limit access to sensitive information and systems to only authorized personnel.
- Incident response plan: Having a well-defined incident response plan in place to quickly detect, respond to, and recover from security incidents.
- Continuous monitoring and improvement: Regularly monitoring security systems and processes to identify and address new threats and vulnerabilities as they emerge.
Overall, a strong cybersecurity posture is an ongoing process – it's a living and breathing thing. It requires continuous attention and investment to stay ahead of evolving threats and protect the organization's digital assets.
Let’s now double click into SSPM, starting first with how it works.
How Does SaaS Security Posture Management Work?
In this blog we will highlight a few general steps for how SSPM works at a high level:
The first step is integration: being able to manage as many of your core SaaS systems as possible from one central location. This centralization of management gives you the visibility to see and understand what is happening in your SaaS ecosystem as a whole. It powers the capabilities to track what user identities are doing in your environment and pick up on patterns or anomalies.
The next step is discovery: building an up-to-date map of your SaaS ecosystem with all relevant components, such as:
- Assets
- User identities
- Groups
- Third-party apps
The risk level and exposure level of each component is an operationally critical part of this mapping (e.g. who has access to this asset; what level of permissions does this third-party app have).
If unacceptable levels of risk or exposure are found, it’s time for the step of remediation: removing unneeded access, permissions or privileges.
After all the initial discovery, analysis and remediation, SSPM takes on the role of detection and response. SSPM tools should feature real-time or near real-time monitoring and alerting capabilities to enable security teams to detect and respond to security incidents promptly. To maximize efficiency and effectiveness, clear-cut policy violations should be able to trigger automated workflows featuring responses like blocking certain users or applications, restricting asset access or implementing additional security controls.
Download the 2023 The SaaS Security Threat Landscape Report
Finally, SSPM involves ongoing monitoring and improvement to ensure that security policies and practices remain effective over time. As mentioned earlier, it’s a best practice to perform periodic reassessments, regular security awareness training for employees, as well as ongoing updates to security policies and procedures.
What SaaS Elements Does SSPM Protect?
There are several key elements within your SaaS environment which must be safeguarded by an SSPM. All of these elements are critical to the core functions of your business, the way that users access and view assets, and the solutions your employees use on a daily basis.
Data
The most obvious (and arguably, most important) asset that needs to be protected by your SSPM is the sensitive data within your SaaS applications. This is target number one for threat actors, and could look like everything from users’ PII (Personal Identifiable Information), your company’s marketing plan for the next quarter, trade secrets related to product development, and more.
Securing your company’s sensitive data is especially challenging in the modern era, thanks to generative AI and other tools that are often granted sweeping permissions by users. You likely aren’t even aware of all your sensitive data exposure within your cloud environment, along with which programs or solutions have access permissions to pull this data.
It’s crucial that your SSPM is able to identify which datasets within your SaaS ecosystem are sensitive. Your SSPM must know how to distinguish between private, personal, sensitive, and general business data which is critical for day-to-day workflows. In order to truly secure this data, you’ll also need your SSPM to provide you with a way to make sure that data is only accessed, viewed, and shared with the right users and entities.
Identity
Numerous entities need to access your SaaS environment, with all of them requiring a different level of trust and permissions. Your organization’s employees and admins, as well as third-party contractors and collaborators, must be granted access to your company data. The question is how to do this safely. This may seem straightforward at first, as you create user identities with different settings depending on needs and status (i.e. external or internal users), but there’s another issue at hand: whether or not you can trust that a specific user is who they claim to be.
This is where identity verification comes into play. Your SSPM should offer you a number of ways to confirm the identity of users, including strong authentication methods, such as MFA (multi-factor authentication). Regularly monitoring for unusual patterns, such as a user repeatedly downloading documents that are not relevant for their role, is also crucial.
Your SSPM must also provide ways for you to quickly review and update user permissions and access, along with providing your employees with easy-to-understand tips and training on data security best practices and whether a particular move (such as granting “share with everyone” on a specific asset) is risky.
Configurations
SaaS configurations are the guidelines that govern which users can access particular assets. This includes high-level access controls, such as sharing settings, security protocols, network settings and data handling rules. You can think of configurations as the guard rails to ensuring that your data isn’t seen by the wrong people, and that your users can’t override settings to make high-risk decisions.
Your SSPM should ensure that your SaaS configurations are in compliance with local law (especially important if you’re in a high regulated industry, such as healthcare or finance), rolling alerts to your security team in the event that configurations are modified or changed, and full-picture mapping and remediation for misconfigurations.
Connected apps
Most SaaS environments have dozens, if not hundreds, of connected third-party apps. These connected apps help the solutions used by your employees on a day-to-day basis with additional features and streamline operations and efficiency. But while these connected apps are critical for boosting productivity, they also provide a backdoor for threat actors to access your company’s most sensitive data.
Most of the time, these apps are connected via OAuth tokens. These allow apps to access various aspects of your company assets, including sensitive data, in order to function. However, these tokens can be misused by bad actors to gain access to critical assets in the event of a breach.
There are a number of services your SSPM must provide in order to secure your third-party connected apps:
- Discover and map all third-party apps connected within your SaaS environment
- Screen apps for data privacy and security compliance, ensuring that they are safe for your company to use
- Enforce strict access controls, in order to prevent apps being granted over-permissions or elevated levels of privileges
- Regular and continuous review and monitoring of your connected apps
- Swiftly removing access to third-party apps that are suscioous or irrelevant for your business
- Immediate remediation of OAuth tokens in the event that vulnerabilities or security threats are identified
Why Do Organizations Need an SSPM Solution?
Organizations need an SSPM tool for several reasons. The reliance on SaaS applications has seen a significant increase pre and post pandemic. These applications are now becoming a Tier0 app to drive business agility and enablement. However, with any technology that promises business benefit there are always security implications, which is where the need for SSPM comes into play.
An SSPM solution provides visibility into the organization's SaaS environment, which can be challenging to monitor due to the distributed nature of cloud applications. It can help identify all SaaS applications used across the organization, even those that are unauthorized, providing better visibility for risk management. These solutions will undoubtedly help organizations manage the risks associated with using SaaS applications. They provide a way to assess the security posture of each SaaS application and identify vulnerabilities that may be exploited by attackers. This can help reduce the likelihood of a data breach or other security incidents.
From a compliance perspective, many organizations are required to comply with various regulatory requirements, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). An SSPM solution can help organizations ensure that their SaaS applications meet these compliance requirements. Earlier in the blog we touched on incident response; SSPM solutions provide the tools for monitoring and responding to security incidents that may occur in the organization's SaaS environment. They allow security teams to quickly detect and respond to security incidents, which can help minimize the impact of a breach or other security event.
One ‘need’ for SSPM, which also happens to be a positive business outcome is efficiency. SSPM tools can help organizations optimize their security operations by automating routine security tasks, such as identifying unauthorized applications or users, and alerting security teams of potential security incidents. This as well can help security teams to be more efficient and effective in managing security risks associated with SaaS applications.
SSPM vs Manual Audits
SSPM and taking a manual approach to audits are obviously two completely different ways to managing the security of an organization's cloud-based SaaS applications. SSPM is an automated approach that continuously monitors the security posture of SaaS applications and provides real-time alerts for potential security issues. On the other hand, manual audits are typically conducted periodically and may not catch security issues in real-time.
SSPM provides a centralized view of an organization's SaaS application security posture, which helps security teams quickly identify and address potential issues. Manual audits, on the other hand, may require security teams to manually review multiple reports and logs to identify security issues. SSPM can help organizations meet compliance requirements by providing automated reporting and evidence collection. Manual audits often require more manual (unsurprising!) effort to collect the necessary evidence to demonstrate compliance.
What is the Difference Between SSPM and Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)?
SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) and Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) are two related but distinct concepts in the field of cloud security. Here are some key differences between the two:
- Scope: SSPM focuses specifically on the security posture of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, while CSPM covers a broader range of cloud services, including Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).
- Complexity: SaaS applications tend to be less complex than IaaS or PaaS offerings, which means that SSPM solutions can be simpler and more focused than CSPM solutions.
- Ownership: SaaS applications are typically owned and managed by third-party vendors, while IaaS and PaaS offerings may be owned and managed by the organization or by a third-party provider. This can impact the level of control an organization has over the security posture of the service.
- Configuration: SSPM solutions typically focus on the configuration of individual SaaS applications, while CSPM solutions may also cover the configuration of underlying infrastructure and services.
- Compliance: Both SSPM and CSPM solutions can help organizations maintain compliance with relevant regulations and standards, but the specific requirements may differ depending on the type of service being monitored.
In general, SSPM and CSPM are related but separate concepts that deal with various aspects of cloud security. SSPM solutions concentrate on the security posture of SaaS applications, whereas CSPM solutions offer a more comprehensive view of an organization's cloud security posture across a wide range of services. Depending on the complexity of their cloud environment and the specific security risks they face, organizations may require both types of solutions. Any cloud technology does require the consumer of the service to uphold the security of how that product or service is being utilized (a.k.a. the shared responsibility model in the cloud). SSPM and CSPM solutions will help organizations uphold their end of this model.
How Does SSPM Work with Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)?
SSPM and CASB solutions are two complementary technologies that can be used together to provide a comprehensive approach to managing the security of cloud-based applications. SSPM solutions can provide real-time monitoring of SaaS applications to detect potential security incidents. CASB can then provide additional visibility into user activity within those applications, including identifying high-risk users or abnormal user behavior.
SSPM solutions can identify potential security risks within SaaS applications, while CASB can assess the risk associated with specific user activities within those applications. This can help organizations prioritize their security efforts and respond to high-risk incidents more quickly. CASB solutions can provide granular access control policies for SaaS applications, allowing organizations to limit user access based on factors such as device type, location, or user identity. SSPM solutions can help enforce these policies by detecting and blocking unauthorized access attempts.
CASB tools can also help organizations maintain compliance with relevant regulations and standards, while SSPM solutions can provide additional visibility into the security posture of individual SaaS applications to support compliance efforts. Overall, the combination of SSPM and CASB can provide a more comprehensive approach to managing the security of cloud-based applications. By leveraging the strengths of each technology, organizations can gain greater visibility into their cloud environment, identify potential security risks more quickly, and respond to security incidents more effectively.
SSPM and SASE Architectures
SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) are two related but distinct concepts in the field of cloud security. Here are some ways in which SSPM can work with SASE architecture:
- Real-time monitoring: SSPM solutions can provide real-time monitoring of SaaS applications to detect potential security incidents. SASE architecture can then provide additional visibility into network traffic and user activity, allowing security teams to identify potential threats more quickly.
- Access control: SASE architecture provides granular access control policies for cloud services, allowing organizations to limit user access based on factors such as device type, location, or user identity. SSPM solutions can help enforce these policies by detecting and blocking unauthorized access attempts.
- Data protection: SASE architecture can provide data protection capabilities, such as data loss prevention (DLP) and encryption, to help protect sensitive data in transit and at rest. SSPM solutions can help ensure that SaaS applications are configured securely and that users are using the applications in a way that does not compromise data security.
- Compliance: SASE architecture can help organizations maintain compliance with relevant regulations and standards, while SSPM solutions can provide additional visibility into the security posture of individual SaaS applications to support compliance efforts.
SSPM and SASE architectures can work together to provide a more comprehensive approach to managing the security of cloud-based applications. By leveraging the strengths of each technology, organizations can gain greater visibility into their cloud environment, identify potential security risks more quickly, and respond to security incidents more effectively.
DoControl’s Continuous Monitoring
A big part of what’s been highlighted in this blog involves continuous monitoring within the SaaS estate. DoControl’s approach to continuous monitoring involves leveraging an event-based platform that integrates with business-critical applications, exposing hundreds to thousands of different event types that provide the business context necessary for security teams to make informed decisions. The DoControl SaaS Security Platform allows IT and security teams to better understand when an event is a normal business-practice, or an event that presents material risk to the business.
DoControl provides a unified, automated, and risk-aware SaaS Security Platform. The solution secures business-critical applications and data, drives operational efficiencies, and enables business productivity. DoControl’s core competency is focused on protecting business-critical SaaS applications and data through automated remediation. This is achieved through preventive data access controls, SaaS service misconfiguration detection, service mesh discovery, and shadow application governance. The DoControl Platform is built upon three foundational tenets which include Discovery and Visibility, Monitor and Control, and Automated Remediation. DoControl provides SaaS data protection that works for the modern business, so they can drive their business forward in a secure way.
SSPM is One Critical Piece to the Security Puzzle
SSPM is an essential component for the modern business’s security posture. SSPM tools will help to protect the sensitive data of users, organizations, and other stakeholders from a wide variety of cyber threats. SaaS applications store and process such large amounts of sensitive data (i.e. financial information, personal details, and intellectual property). As a result, they are a prime target for cybercriminals seeking to steal valuable data.
Misconfigurations in cloud technologies is one of the most consistent causes for a data breach or attack. Effectively tackling this problem requires assessing, monitoring, and improving the security measures in place to protect against potential threats. SSPM tools will help to identify vulnerabilities in the system and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to address them. As the reliance on SaaS applications continues to increase, so will the number of breaches and attacks that involve the compromises of different SaaS-related tools and services. Security teams need to take a closer look at existing gaps within their SaaS security estate to put themselves in the best position to provide business continuity and stay out of the headlines.
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FAQs
What is SaaS security posture management (SSPM)?
SaaS (Software as a Service) security posture management (SSPM) is the practice of ensuring the security of a SaaS application, which involves assessing and managing risks associated with data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
How do I secure my SaaS application estate?
Securing your SaaS application estate typically involves implementing a range of security measures to protect against various types of threats and vulnerabilities. Some best practices include using strong authentication mechanisms, encrypting sensitive data, test vulnerabilities on a regular basis, implement access controls, monitor and control user activities, and ongoing training and engagement with business users.
What is a security posture?
A strong cybersecurity posture involves an organization's overall security strategy and measures implemented to protect its digital assets and infrastructure from cyber threats. It is achieved through a combination of people, processes, and technology to effectively prevent, detect, and respond to security incidents.
What are the risks of a weak SSPM?
Without a robust SSPM, you could be putting your company at risk for numerous serious issues, including a devastating data breach. Because cloud environments are inherently vulnerable to threats, both external and internal, it’s critical that you take steps to ensure that your sensitive data within your SaaS apps is secure. If you don’t have a strong SSPM in place, you could see breaches that end with your data stolen, sold, or leaked to the public.
Among other possible consequences facing your company due to a weak SSPM and subsequent data breach are damage to your brand reputation, operational disruptions, compliance failures, and more. If and when news of the breach goes public, you could suffer financial issues, stemming from a loss of customer and investor trust, and possibly fines issued by regulatory agencies.
How do I choose the right SSPM for my enterprise?
While the right SSPM for your organization will look different according to your business’ unique needs, there are four main elements that your SSPM should cover: data, identity, third-party OAuth apps, and configurations. No matter which SSPM you choose, your solution should secure these four basic areas of vulnerability within your organization.
Before committing to a solution, you should perform an assessment to identify your needs and security gaps, along with ensuring that the SSPM in question can grow flexibly, to scale, alongside your business. You should also check that it can fit into your existing infrastructure and has a user-friendly interface.
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