SaaS Security Checklist | Best Practices to Protect SaaS Data

With the widespread adoption of SaaS, data security concerns have become increasingly critical. SaaS applications store vast amounts of sensitive data, including personal, financial, and proprietary business information. Hence, businesses struggle to protect their SaaS data from insider threats and costly cloud data breaches. Notably, the latter is the most expensive type of data breach, costing USD 5.17 million on average.

Many organizations erroneously think that SaaS providers alone should manage all sensitive data. However, SaaS security relies on a shared responsibility model, where data security mainly falls on customers’ shoulders. SaaS providers, on the other hand, are usually accountable for securing the SaaS infrastructure, including the network, applications, physical security, data centers, and the underlying software and hardware. Simply put, your data is your responsibility.

Implementing robust security controls and best practices is crucial to protecting SaaS data, yet it requires skills, expertise, and technologies. We’ve prepared this SaaS security checklist to gather all best practices and expert recommendations for SaaS data security. Let’s protect your SaaS data together. 

Adopt a Security-First Mindset

A security-first mindset integrates security into every business process. Organizations with this approach constantly strive to integrate security measures and adopt practices designed to prevent, monitor, and address security threats effectively. A security-first mindset is rooted in data security and protection awareness, so businesses should heavily rely on regular security awareness and training. 

Provide regular security awareness training

One key benefit of regular security awareness training is enhanced cybersecurity. By educating employees about common threats to SaaS data, such as phishing scams, malware, and social engineering attacks, businesses can reduce the exposure of the most critical data to these threats. Recognizing the importance of human capital in safeguarding their SaaS ecosystems, every third (68%) organization increased its investment in training staff on SaaS security. 

Establish clear security policies

The second important element of a security-first mindset is establishing clear security policies. Data security policies provide guidelines and procedures to protect sensitive SaaS data from unauthorized access, breaches, and other security threats. Furthermore, Data security policies are essential for compliance with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. These policies outline how data should be handled, stored, transmitted, and disposed of to ensure its confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Key components of data security policies include:

• access controls: regulate who can access what data and under which conditions and minimize data exposure;
• data handling procedures: define how data should be stored, transmitted, encrypted, retained, and disposed of securely;
• incident response protocols: provide a clear plan for detecting, reporting, and mitigating security breaches;
• incident response: outlines procedures for detecting, reporting, and responding to data breaches or security incidents;
• monitoring and auditing: establishes processes for regularly reviewing and auditing data access and usage to detect and prevent potential security issues.

Conduct threat modeling and automate security testing

Incorporating threat modeling into a security-first mindset is essential for proactively managing risks and protecting systems from potential threats. A security-first mindset prioritizes security considerations from the outset of system design and development, integrating them into every phase of the lifecycle. Threat modeling is crucial in this approach, as it systematically identifies and assesses potential threats, vulnerabilities, and attack vectors before they can be exploited. Some of the common benefits of threat modeling include early identification of threats, risk assessment, and informed decision-making.

By adopting a security-first mindset and integrating threat modeling, organizations can enhance their ability to anticipate, mitigate, and respond to security threats, ensuring more robust and resilient systems.

Implement DevSecOps practices

DevSecOps is a critical component of the overall security mindset. DevSecOps – development, security, and operations – is a framework that integrates security into all phases of the software development lifecycle. Organizations adopt this approach to reduce the risk of vulnerability exploits by hackers. These types of breaches are costly, time-consuming, and damaging to a company’s reputation. 

The 2025 Verizon DBIR reveals that exploiting vulnerabilities has become the primary method for initiating breaches, showing a more than threefold over the past two years This increase aligns with the MOVEit vulnerability and other zero-day exploits.

The DevSecOps framework reduces the risk of deploying software with misconfigurations and other vulnerabilities that bad actors can take advantage of.

Implement Strong Identity and Access Management (IAM) Controls

Proving a user’s identity is one of the basic requirements for keeping the SaaS environment secure and compliant. Even though the concept of identity is easy to understand, putting it into practice securely is more complicated than it might seem. Traditional username and password methods are not enough to protect SaaS data. A massive 550 million data breach at Ticketmaster that has resulted from a fundamental IAM failure on a third-party cloud storage service underscores this point. So, let’s see what the strong IAM controls include.

Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a necessary measure and one of the widely implemented CIS controls to protect SaaS data. MFA provides a simple and secure way to add an extra layer of protection on top of the default user name and password. SaaS giants such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 356 provide MFA options—e.g., AWS MFA or Google MFA—to secure cloud-based data. 

When MFA is enabled, users must sign with two (or more) factors, including:

• something the users know (their username, password, or PIN);
• something the users have (security tokens, authenticator app, email, text, or phone call);
• something the users are (biometrics, fingerprint, facial/voice recognition).

Together, these factors increase security by preventing unauthorized access to an organization’s SaaS data unless a valid MFA challenge has been completed.

NOTE: IAM methods and tactics are constantly advancing, and so are hackers’ tactics. Relying solely on MFA as the only IAM control is not feasible. Attackers are increasingly focusing on post-authentication attacks that bypass MFA altogether, with over 1 million attacks launched with the MFA-bypass framework EvilProxy every month. Attackers who cannot steal user credentials often steal proof of authentication.

However, MFA bypassing is not a reason to give up MFA. Instead, other IAM controls must be implemented along with MFA. 

Implement role-based access control (RBAC)

In the context of SaaS, RBAC plays a critical role in safeguarding sensitive SaaS data. RBAC manages access by grouping permissions into roles and responsibilities, ensuring users have access only to the data and features essential for their roles. For example, when using Google Workspace RBAC, users can assign roles based on:

• job responsibilities;
• tenancies or organizations; or
• assign temporary roles to analysts to investigate an issue.

Although many SaaS providers provide RBAC functions, it is the organization’s responsibility to configure access properly to limit access to data to a limited number of individuals.

Regularly review user access rights

Reviewing user access rights is vital for SaaS data security. Users often have excessive and outdated access permissions or even retain access to sensitive data after leaving the company. A striking 67% of organizations have ex-employees who retain access to Google Workspace assets for over five years.

To prevent data security breaches, users should have access only to the data necessary for their job duties. Administrators must periodically review and adjust access permissions, particularly when:

• projects are completed;
• employees leave the company or change roles;
• contracts with external parties expire.

Consider zero-trust security architecture

The Zero Trust (ZT) model is now the preferred strategy for securing modern, distributed data. It operates on the principle that trust should never be assumed, regardless of the network location or who owns the asset. Zero Trust requires ongoing verification of all access to enterprise resources, focusing on securing data and services rather than merely defending network perimeters. 

A robust Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) protects against known threats and can adapt to new ones as they emerge. This adaptability is facilitated by feedback loops, a crucial element recommended by security standards such as National Institute od Standards and technology (NIST), enabling dynamic and continuous authorization that keeps security measures effective against evolving threats.

Secure APIs and Integrate Real-Time Protection

The volume of API communication and sensitive SaaS data transferred through APIs is increasing. With APIs accounting for over 83% of web requests, the security of modern SaaS environments heavily relies on correct API configurations. However, API activity often remains a significant blind spot for security teams. In 2023, over 175 million records were exposed due to vulnerable APIs, a 214% increase from 2022. The largest cybersecurity incident of the year involved the MOVEit file transfer package, where APIs were central to the attack strategy.

Below are some right ways to secure APIs. 

Use secure API gateways

Secure API gateways play a crucial role in SaaS data protection by acting as a centralized point for managing and monitoring API traffic. They enforce stringent authentication and authorization protocols, such as OAuth 2.0 and Mutual TLS, ensuring that only authorized users and applications access sensitive data. API gateways also implement rate limiting, throttling, and anomaly detection to prevent abuse and mitigate potential DDoS attacks. 

Implement API rate limiting and throttling

Implementing API rate limiting and throttling is highly recommended for avoiding system overload and managing user data usage limits. API rate limiting and throttling are methods for controlling how frequently users can interact with your APIs:

• API rate limiting is limiting the number of requests that can be made to an API within a specific period. This ensures that one user does not overwhelm a system by submitting too many requests too quickly.
• API throttling, in turn, regulates the number of API requests a user or client can make within a specified period (per second, user, or IP address).

Thus, both API rate limiting and throttling help control the number of calls per specified period, thereby preventing API abuse or misuse by making it more difficult for malicious users to flood the system with requests and bring down the API. These tools can be easily implemented directly on the server side using a language such as Java, Ruby, or Python.

Incorporate real-time monitoring for APIs

Real-time monitoring for APIs is the continuous live tracking and analysis of API traffic, performance, and metrics to detect and respond to issues immediately. API monitoring helps organizations by:

• generating alerts for changes in API traffic;
• improving API availability and reducing mean-time-to-diagnosis (MTTD);
• utilizing fault codes to accelerate problem diagnosis.
• quickly identifying and isolating issues related to errors, performance, and latency.

These features allow for quick problem identification and resolution, ensuring optimal API functionality and reliability. While major SaaS providers offer their own API monitoring tools, many organizations turn to third-party solutions to enhance their SaaS data security. 

Guard against common API vulnerabilities

API vulnerabilities refer to the potential weaknesses or gaps in an API’s security that a malicious actor could exploit. These vulnerabilities can be present in any API part, from the design phase to the deployment stage. Common API vulnerabilities include inadequate authentication, lack of proper authorization, insufficient input validation, broken access controls, and exposure to injection attacks such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting. 

For example, two significant API vulnerabilities were identified in FortiSIEM in 2024, a commonly used Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution. Labeled CVE-2024-23108 and CVE-2024-23109, these flaws allowed remote code execution without requiring authentication. Additionally, a critical API vulnerability was found in MOVEit, a widely used file transfer tool. Referred to as CVE-2023-34362, this issue involved a SQL injection flaw in the MOVEit Transfer web application, potentially permitting unauthorized access to its database.

Coping with these and other API vulnerabilities is extremely important. Organizations must regularly update and patch APIs to fix known vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of exploitation. It is highly recommended that organizations scan APIs regularly for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and security issues. According to the 2023 State of API Security Report, over 50% of organizations enforced API vulnerability scanning tools to achieve API security.

Encrypt Data at Rest and in Transit

Encryption is a key technology in the world of security as it helps make data unreadable to any unauthorized individual. Encryption protects sensitive data in accordance with compliance and security objectives. Even if other mechanisms fail to prevent data leakage outside cloud environments, encryption helps ensure that any leaked data is unreadable.

Use strong encryption algorithms to encrypt data

Data stored in SaaS must be encrypted both in transit and at rest. Encryption at rest protects sensitive data from a system compromise or data exfiltration by encrypting data while stored. The NIST recommends the following encryption algorithms to encrypt data at rest:

• Advanced Encryption Standard (AES): NIST endorses AES for symmetric key encryption, supporting key sizes of 128, 192, and 256 bits. AES is widely used due to its strength and efficiency.
• RSA: For public-key cryptography, NIST recommends RSA with a minimum key size of 2048 bits. RSA is commonly used for secure data transmission and digital signatures.

These algorithms are chosen for their proven security and efficiency, making them suitable for a wide range of cryptographic applications.

Encryption in transit protects sensitive data if communications are intercepted while data moves between the organization’s site and the cloud provider or between two services. This protection is achieved by encrypting the data before transmission, authenticating the endpoints, and, on arrival, decrypting and verifying that the data was not modified. The most effective protocols that encrypt SaaS data in transit are:

• SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
• TLS (Transport Layer Security) 

While TLS has replaced SSL, both provide crucial protection by encrypting data, ensuring secure transmissions between clients and servers, and verifying the identities of communicating parties. 

Manage encryption keys securely

Proper key management ensures that sensitive data is protected from unauthorized access and that access to encrypted data is granted only to authorized individuals. So, organizations need to be more attentive to where their cryptographic keys are stored. 

To manage encryption keys effectively, organizations need to:

• use a centralized key management system to manage keys across the organization easily;
• use key-encrypting keys to encrypt and decrypt encryption keys, providing an additional layer of security;
• establish key access controls for key generation, storage, and use;
• centralize user roles and access so that only authenticated users will be allowed access to the encrypted data expiration to ensure that keys are regularly rotated and that access to encrypted data is kept up to date.
• Use key revocation so some keys are invalidated and can no longer be used to access encrypted data.

Regularly update encryption protocols

Older cryptographic algorithms and protocols can become obsolete as new vulnerabilities emerge and computational power grows. Staying updated with new and emerging encryption protocols involves monitoring advancements in cryptographic research and adopting newer, more secure algorithms as they are developed. 

For example, upgrading from RSA-1024 to RSA-2048 demonstrates a shift towards stronger encryption practices. Additionally, replacing outdated algorithms, such as moving from Triple DES (3DES) to AES, is crucial for maintaining robust security. 

This process also involves retiring old keys and certificates, re-encrypting data with updated algorithms, and regularly reviewing and updating cryptographic libraries and software to apply the latest security patches and improvements.

Implement Continuous Security Audits and Compliance Checks

The purpose of security and compliance audits is to identify and mitigate risks to SaaS data. Criminals often exploit SaaS vulnerabilities, which leads to data breaches, downtime, revenue loss, and regulatory non-compliance. Continuous security monitoring practices help reduce the possibility of vulnerabilities being exploited and, thereby, protect your SaaS data. 

Perform vulnerability scans and penetration testing

There are many different types of security tests, but the most common ones include vulnerability scans and penetration testing. 

Vulnerability scanning is a technique for testing SaaS applications for vulnerabilities and reporting any issues found during the scans. Vulnerability scans can be performed manually or using automated scanners. The second type is more influential nowadays as it leverages automated tools and minimizes the risk of human error or oversight.

Penetration testing in SaaS involves simulating cyber-attacks on cloud-based applications to identify and exploit vulnerabilities before malicious actors can. This proactive security measure helps uncover weaknesses in the SaaS environment, including misconfigurations, weak access controls, and application-specific flaws. Expert testers use various techniques to mimic real-world attack scenarios, providing valuable insights into potential entry points and the impact of a successful breach. By regularly conducting penetration tests, SaaS providers and users can bolster their security posture, ensure compliance with industry standards, and protect sensitive data from unauthorized access and other cyber threats.

Conduct application security risk assessments

Despite the tremendous capabilities that SaaS applications offer to organizations, they can be riddled with cybersecurity risks. Some of the main cybersecurity risks associated with SaaS applications include misconfigurations, shadow IT, access management, and insecure APIs. A SaaS application risk assessment is used to identify, evaluate, and mitigate risks associated with a software application, including excessive permissions, misconfiguration, and other vulnerabilities. This process aims to ensure that the application is secure, reliable, and compliant with relevant regulations and standards. A A vital part of an application risk assessment is understanding how the app stores, processes, transmits, and retains business-critical data. 

Consider using automatized application risk assessment tools to determine risks associated with each third-party SaaS application and address risks to SaaS data more effectively.

Ensure compliance with industry standards

Compliance with data security and privacy legislation is crucial for SaaS data security. Regulations like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, CCPA, GDPA require organizations to implement security measures, including encryption, access controls, and regular security audits necessary. Regular compliance audits can provide an objective assessment of security practices, ensuring comprehensive protection. By prioritizing compliance, businesses can secure their SaaS environments, mitigate risks, and build a reputation for reliability.

Develop a Robust Incident Response and Disaster Recovery Plan

An incident response plan (IRP) is a comprehensive strategy developed to manage and mitigate the aftermath of security incidents. The IRP aims to minimize damage, reduce recovery time, minimize downtime, and maintain business operations during and after an incident. According to the 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report by IBM, incident response planning is among the top factors that reduce data breach costs, as well as the top investment area. A good incident response plan should include four major steps:

• preparations;
• detection and analysis;
• containment, eradication, and preparation;
• post-incident activity.

Incident response planning is also necessary for maintaining regulatory compliance. Regulatory bodies and industry standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 emphasize the importance of such plans for effectively managing potential data breaches.

Implement automated backup solutions

No incident response can function successfully without robust data backup policies. Implement secure, automated data backups. Data backups create copies of critical information to ensure recovery in case of data loss, corruption, or disaster. To choose and implement a reliable data backup solution, make sure it follows the following best practices: 

• 3-2-1 backup rule. Reliable backup solutions should provide (3) copies of your backups stored on (2) different mediums, with at least (1) stored offsite. The overall benefit of the 3-2-1 backup rule is that you have multiple copies of your data, which are intentionally separated from one another.
• Separate storage for SaaS data backups. Many public cloud SaaS backup solutions require businesses to store data in the same infrastructure that houses production data. However, businesses need a service that allows storing backup data in a separate infrastructure from production to ensure completely autonomous data backups that can be restored or downloaded without any reliance on the production SaaS infrastructure.
• Make long-term archived backups. Data backups usually fall into two categories: hot backups for data recovery and archived backups for long-term data inquiries. Storing long-term backups for a designated period allows the retention of archival data.

Automated backup solutions like SpinBackup fully satisfy these demands and provide secure backups for sensitive SaaS data. 

Conduct disaster recovery drills

Disaster recovery drills are simulated exercises designed to test an organization’s ability to recover and restore data and systems after a disruption or disaster. These drills are crucial for SaaS data security because they ensure that the disaster recovery plans are effective and that all team members know their roles and responsibilities during an actual incident. Organizations should conduct disaster recovery drills to

• identify potential weaknesses in their recovery strategies, 
• ensure compliance with industry standards, and 
• minimize downtime and data loss during a real disaster. 

There are various IT disaster recovery exercise scenarios but the most commonly tested exercises include: plan review, tabletop test, and simulation. 

Establish communication protocols

Establish communication protocols with clear guidelines for internal and external communications during a security incident. Internally, protocols should specify who needs to be informed, how to report the incident, and include the chain of command for decision-making. Externally, protocols should define how to communicate with stakeholders, clients, regulatory bodies, and the media, ensuring timely and accurate information is shared without compromising the investigation. Regular training and updates to these protocols ensure that all team members are aware of their roles, enabling swift and effective responses to data breaches and other security incidents.

Leverage Advanced Technologies for Enhanced Security of SaaS Data

According to the survey, 71% of organizations have increased their investment in security tools for SaaS, demonstrating a growing commitment to protecting their digital assets. Additionally, 66% of organizations have increased their investment in business-critical SaaS applications, reflecting the growing reliance on these tools for core business functions. The most commonly used technologies for enhanced SaaS data security include 

• SSPM
• DLP 
• AI and ML for threat detection and response
• Blockchain technology
• Automate security testing and attack simulations

Implement SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM)

With SaaS security incidents on the rise, organizations are seeking out more advanced SaaS security tools such as SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM). The adoption of SSPM tools has grown significantly, with the percentage of organizations using SSPM increasing from 17% in 2022 to 44% in 2023 underscoring the effectiveness of these tools. This can be attributed to the fact that SSPMs provide coverage in areas where other methods and strategies have fallen short, offering more comprehensive protection against various security risks.

SSPM works by continuously monitoring and assessing the security configurations of SaaS applications to ensure SaaS data are secured. It identifies potential risks, such as misconfigurations or unauthorized access, and provides actionable insights to remediate these issues. SSPM also offers real-time visibility and control over SaaS applications, helping organizations minimize vulnerabilities and protect sensitive data.SSPM tools, like SpinSPM, enhance organizations’ overall security posture, reduce security costs, and improve compliance by reducing the risk of misconfigurations and shadow IT. 

Use AI and machine learning for threat detection and response 

More and more organizations are relying on AI and automation in their data security routine. Along with incident detection, AI tools can be leveraged in prevention, investigation, and response. Around 27% of companies heavily rely on AI for these functions, with about 40% incorporating AI technologies to a certain degree. Thus, the more organizations use AI and automation, the lower their average breach costs. 

Utilizing AI and automation tools in data breach response can help organizations reduce their data breach costs by USD 1.88 million on average. Furthermore, leveraging AI equals faster incident identification and containment. 

Using AI and automation in data threat detection and response involves several key strategies:

• automated vulnerability scanning: AI-driven tools can continuously scan systems for vulnerabilities, identifying weaknesses more quickly and accurately than manual methods.
• dynamic testing and attack simulation: AI can simulate complex attack scenarios, including zero-day exploits, to test how systems handle advanced and evolving threats. 
• behavioral analysis: AI can analyze the behavior of applications and systems under test, identifying deviations or anomalies that could indicate security flaws.
• prioritization of vulnerabilities: AI algorithms can assess and rank vulnerabilities based on potential impact and exploitability, allowing security teams to focus on the most critical issues first.
• predictive analytics: AI can forecast potential future threats by analyzing trends and patterns in historical data. 
• reporting and analysis: AI tools can generate comprehensive reports on vulnerabilities and attack vectors, providing actionable insights and recommendations for remediation.

Consider blockchain technology

Blockchain technology in SaaS data security involves using a decentralized, immutable ledger to secure data transactions. It enhances authentication, encryption, and audit trails while decentralizing data storage to reduce risks of tampering and unauthorized access.

When developing a blockchain application, it’s essential to evaluate which type of network aligns with your business objectives. Private networks offer tight control, making them ideal for compliance and regulatory purposes, while public and permissionless networks provide greater decentralization and distribution. Here are the main types of blockchain technologies:

• public blockchains-open to everyone, allowing anyone to join and validate transactions;
• private blockchains-are are restricted to specific business networks, with membership typically controlled by a single entity or consortium;
• permissionless blockchains allow unrestricted participation in processing;
• permissioned blockchains are limited to a selected group of users who are granted access through certificates.

Like any complex technology, most blockchain systems suffer from new security issues. First, blockchain is a prime target for attacks due to the concentration of financial resources. Second, there is no comprehensive list of blockchain weaknesses so far. 

Conduct phishing simulations

Phishing remains a widely used tactic to reach sensitive SaaS-based data. According to Proofpoint, 71% of organizations in 2024 experienced at least one successful phishing attack. Using multiple social engineering techniques, hackers exploit human vulnerabilities by sending phishing emails and thereby get access to valuable data and systems. Security awareness activities such as phishing simulations are crucial to cope with phishing. 

Phishing simulation is a cybersecurity practice that measures an organization’s ability to detect and mitigate phishing attacks. It sends realistic phishing emails or calls to employees in order to gauge their awareness of attacks and what to do with phishing emails when they receive them. Conducting phishing simulations for SaaS data security is crucial because it helps identify vulnerabilities in human behavior, enhances employees’ ability to recognize and report phishing attempts, and reduces the risk of successful phishing attacks.

Although phishing simulations help organizations safeguard sensitive data and strengthen overall security posture, only 34% of organizations perform them. Given the high volume of malicious emails seen in the threat landscape, more and more organizations need to include phishing simulations in their daily security awareness routine. 

SpinOne to Protect SaaS Data

SaaS data protection can be extremely difficult to achieve in public cloud SaaS environments such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Although they provide native data protection mechanisms such as encryption, IAM, and audit logs, they often fail to address modern SaaS data security risks. Furthermore, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace do not have native backup mechanisms. Understanding this, organizations of all sizes increasingly rely on third-party SaaS data protection tools.

SpinOne is a multi-tenant platform created by Spin Technology and designed to simplify the complexity of SaaS data security. As an all-in-one platform, SpinOne combines three solutions that make business data bulletproof from security breaches and insider threats: Spin Security Posture Management (SpinSPM), Spin Ransomware Detection and Response (SpinRDR), Spin Backup and Disaster Recovery (SpinBackup), Spin Data Leak Prevention & Data Loss Protection (SpinDLP). 

Leveraging artificial intelligence combined with deep human expertise, SpinOne helps organizations address such common SaaS security issues by offering:

• ​​full visibility and fast incident response on SaaS misconfigurations, unsanctioned apps, and malicious browser extensions;
• accessing control across all your SaaS data;
• cyber resiliency with automated, 3x daily backup for your SaaS data;
• immediate security incident and data breach response;
• reducing downtime to less than 2 hours instead of weeks or months;

Safeguard your organization with SpinOne’s AI-powered security, offering a comprehensive SaaS data protection—try SpinOne today to secure your SaaS environment with confidence.