A Guide to SaaS Application Security

No software is completely immune to attacks, and the products your SaaS company provides are no exception to that. See how adopting the right approach to SaaS application security can protect your company, users, and reputation—and the steps you can take to keep your software and user data safe.

What SaaS Application Security Guards Against

• Data breaches: Your software handles potentially millions of sensitive data points for each client account and instance. Therefore, following a strict SaaS application security checklist is essential not only for protecting your clients’ personal information, but their customers’ information as well—including addresses, credit card numbers, and more.
• Unauthorized access: Following the proper security measures prevents attackers and other unauthorized users from getting into your app, or even certain areas of your app.
• Account takeover (ATO): Following SaaS security best practices protects usernames and passwords and makes it harder for attackers to use these common attack vectors.
• Insider threats: Be it from a disgruntled former employee or a sophisticated case of corporate espionage, strict adherence to SaaS security standards can reduce the risks of insider threats compromising your organization.
• Malware and ransomware: Ransomware can bring your company’s operations to a grinding halt, costing potentially millions of dollars in revenue in the process. Depending on the industry your software serves, such as healthcare, it could also have deadly consequences. 
• Injection attacks (e.g., SQL injection, command injection): Code injections can corrupt or destroy your database and compromise your data integrity. Taking proactive steps toward software security can prevent these common and harmful attacks.
• And more: Hackers are always searching for new ways to break into your database and destroy your software from the inside. By treating software security as a priority, you make their job that much harder.

The Different Types of SaaS Application Security

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

IAM encompasses the policies and frameworks you use to ensure that each individual has appropriate levels of access to certain parts of your software. It entails creating and deleting user accounts as your organization’s needs shift, along with managing permissions and roles.

For example, while some of your client’s users within your software may need admin rights, such as their IT personnel or project managers, not everyone will need them. By limiting the number of users with elevated privileges in line with IAM best practices, you can minimize the damage an account takeover or insider threat can cause.

Data Security and Encryption

As one of the most trusted forms of data masking, encryption protects sensitive information both at rest and in transit. It protects sensitive user data from unauthorized exposure and keeps both your software and the companies using it compliant with industry security standards and laws such as HIPAA.

Data encryption tools like Dotfuscator, DashO, and JSDefender improve your security by taking a multi-layered approach. They obfuscate and encrypt your code so your software has a smaller attack surface area and is easier to defend during attempted attacks.

Built-in Security

Ideally, you should include security and data protection features in your application from the very beginning. Using secure coding practices and testing your application for vulnerabilities in its open-source and proprietary code reduces your software’s attack surface area and helps you properly address potential vulnerabilities.

This principle also applies to any patches or updates you make for your application down the line. By assessing potential vulnerabilities and conducting penetration tests early and often, you can use DevSecOps tactics to keep your software safe and functional for all users.

Network Security

Developers have long known that network security is just as important for your team as it is for your customers because it helps prevent DDoS attacks. However, by maintaining strict network requirements for web and desktop applications, you can also protect your software from other threats.

For example, by requiring your software to only run on secure or encrypted networks, you can prevent attackers from gaining unauthorized access. This may involve requiring users to have a specialized VPN, in addition to using multi-factor authentication (MFA) or specialized encryption keys, but it can potentially prevent your team from having to manage a security incident.

Compliance and Auditing

Conducting security audits regularly for your software isn’t just a best practice—for SaaS companies in many industries, it’s a requirement. For example, depending on the industries you serve, you may need to conduct audits for the following regulations:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): Any business that collects data relating to EU citizens must follow these standards for consent. Some American states also have laws in place with similar requirements around data collection.
• Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP): This program covers any cloud-based product or service that services the US government in any capacity.
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): This law centers on the protection and privacy of medical information. However, even software that is not directly involved in the medical field must comply with HIPAA if it contains information about chronic conditions, disabilities, or other factors relating to accessibility.
• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS): This regulation encapsulates security requirements for software that handles credit and debit card payments. Auditing for these regulations protects your clients and their customers from credit card fraud and identity theft.
• Network and Information Systems Directive 2 (NIS2 Directive): An EU-based security directive, NIS2 applies to essential and important entities in the energy, transport, health, and digital infrastructure sectors. To stay compliant, organizations must implement sophisticated cybersecurity measures and audit their security regularly.
• Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA): For financial institutions that operate in the EU to any extent, DORA ensures they are resilient in terms of cybersecurity. It sets standards for these financial institutions and requires frequent audits and IT system tests.

Many of these regulations require regular audits. In addition to constant awareness of potential vulnerabilities in your code, it also requires independent review. While the process can be time-consuming, it can also protect your organization from liability, fines, and potential criminal penalties.

How PreEmptive Can Help

PreEmptive provides a set of tools that satisfy SaaS application security requirements, including some of the strictest encryption standards in the industry. They integrate seamlessly with your development workflows, so security is a priority from the earliest stages of the development lifecycle alongside performance and functionality.

Using Dotfuscator, DashO, and JSDefender makes it easier to encrypt the data in your software so it’s both protected and harder for hackers to decode.

Whether your software operates on mobile, desktop, or web platforms, these tools are compatible with every platform you need.

Protect Your Software from Start to Finish

Experience how PreEmptive can elevate your security practices throughout the development lifecycle. Request a free demo of PreEmptive’s suite of tools today to see how we can safeguard your users’ data from end to end.