What is the commonality across identity, data security, and third-party risks? SaaS sprawl makes all of them considerably worse. Each new SaaS account introduces a new source of third-party risk, a new identity to protect, and a new location where private information may wind up. Additionally, attackers are drawn to this expanding attack surface because most organizations are unaware of it or fail to control it.
Why, then, should protecting your SaaS attack surface be your top priority in 2025? Here are four explanations.
1. Modern work runs on SaaS.
When was the last time you completed your task using a tool other than a cloud-based app? Unable to recall? You are not by yourself.
With the exception of a few highly regulated, sluggish industries, SaaS has emerged as the primary workplace technology delivery paradigm. Furthermore, knowledge workers can easily act as “citizen CIOs” using this delivery model, generating new accounts for any tool—including the newest, shiny GenAI tool—that they believe would improve their productivity.
The average employee really opens a new SaaS account about every two weeks, according to research from Nudge Security. That equates to 200 new SaaS accounts every month for a company with 100 employees. Additionally, each of these SaaS identities increases the attack surface of the company and opens a new channel for private information to leave the company.
A solution that can provide continuous SaaS discovery and just-in-time reminders to assist those citizen CIOs in taking the necessary precautions to safeguard their accounts is the only way for IT and security professionals to hope to defend this dynamic attack surface.
2. Your SaaS footprint is an attractive target to attackers.
According to the 2024 Verizon DBIR, online applications, also known as SaaS, are the most often compromised asset type, accounting for around half of all incidents reported. Additionally, according to a Crowdstrike analysis, compromised identities—including cloud and SaaS credentials—are used in 80% of breaches nowadays.
Furthermore, the increased risk that organizations face when they do not take charge of SaaS governance was highlighted in Gartner’s first-ever Magic Quadrant for SaaS Management Platforms: “Through 2027, organizations that fail to centrally manage SaaS life cycles will remain five times more susceptible to a cyber incident or data loss due to incomplete visibility into SaaS usage and configuration.”
The field of IT security is seldom one for surprises. It is feasible to proactively secure your accounts and data by gaining insight into your SaaS attack surface, reducing the possibility of unpleasant surprises in the form of security events.
3.SaaS governance is the same as GenAI governance.
One of the main concerns of security leaders for 2025 is the control of the usage of generative AI. And what is shared by almost all generative AI applications? You guessed it: SaaS is how they are all provided.
Nudge Security has found around 850 distinct GenAI apps in client environments since ChatGPT first became popularity in early 2023, illustrating the quick speed at which AI is being adopted. Without an automated discovery technique that does not require prior awareness of an app’s existence, IT staff will simply be unable to keep up with this proliferation of new tools, let alone secure and govern them.
The AI governance methodology of Nudge Security enables you to identify and assess the security of AI solutions in a manner that’s
4.Legal and regulatory ramifications may result from inadequate SaaS security.
Organizations are storing an increasing amount of data in SaaS apps as the speed of contemporary work continues to propel SaaS adoption, and regulators are taking notice. SaaS app data may be subject to industry-specific compliance requirements like HIPAA and PCI DSS, security standards like ISO 27001 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and data protection laws like the CCPA and GDPR. Additionally, the majority of contractual obligations to clients, partners, or suppliers on data security and handling also apply to data stored in SaaS applications.
Additionally, public firms must report significant cybersecurity incidents within four business days of a registrant deeming them to be significant, according to SEC rules released in 2023. Additionally, their yearly 10-K filings must contain comprehensive information about company cybersecurity governance and risk management procedures. These regulations show how cybersecurity is becoming more and more important as a gauge of a company’s financial health.
