SaaS Alerts has unveiled its first SaaS Application Security Insights (SASI) Report, offering a detailed examination of current security challenges within the SMB sector.
This bi-annual report highlights startling trends, including over 3,000 daily brute force attacks on monitored small and mid-sized businesses. It also examines risky file-sharing behaviours and pinpoints countries from which many attacks originate.
SaaS Application Security Records
Between January 1st and May 31st, 2021, SaaS Alerts monitored more than 15 million events, analysing anonymised security records from over 750 SMBs and 30,000 users. This vast dataset provides a timely view of the state of SaaS application security among SMBs, particularly those managed by MSPs.
Report Insights and MSP Strategies
Alongside security trends, the SASI report sheds light on how Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are currently pricing and marketing SaaS security monitoring services.
Jim Lippie, CEO of SaaS Alerts, noted, "Overall, the findings in our first-ever SASI report emphasise that MSPs need to reassess their security posture when it comes to protecting their customers’ SaaS Applications." He added that sharing this data could help MSPs develop new strategies for customer security management.
Understanding the SMB Threat Landscape
With the transition from local devices to cloud-based data creation, SaaS Alerts commits to releasing its findings regularly. As the platform's user base expands, these insights will offer a more comprehensive view of the SMB threat landscape, which is increasingly defined by cloud-hosted applications.
User and Network Security Challenges
The shift to SaaS applications requires tech service providers to rethink user and network security.
SaaS Alerts observed around 3,000 brute force attacks daily across the businesses they monitor, alongside vulnerabilities due to behaviours like insecure file-sharing and the use of M365 and Google Workspace credentials for third-party apps. These behaviours continue to present security risks as they make valuable data attractive to attackers.
Combatting Common User Behaviours
Despite continued risks, users often bypass security measures for convenience and productivity gains
Despite continued risks, users often bypass security measures for convenience and productivity gains.
However, technology professionals can mitigate many issues by employing appropriate tools and practising regular security hygiene. The SASI Report offers crucial insights into user activities and trends to help MSPs safeguard their clientele.
Advancing Security with Anonymised Data
SaaS Alerts’ analysis utilises anonymised data collected through its service, under its Master Services Agreement, to identify security trends and develop improved offerings for its growing MSP partners and their clients.
Ensuring the data's anonymity protects corporate and individual information, providing a foundation for enhancing security strategies in a shifting digital environment.
SaaS Alerts, the cybersecurity company purpose-built for MSPs to protect and monetise their customers’ business SaaS applications released the results of its first-ever SASI (SaaS Application Security Insights) Report.
The report, scheduled to be released semi-annually, reveals a shocking trend of over 3,000 Brute Force Attacks per day [against the current SMBs being monitored by the platform] and sheds light on risky file-sharing behavior and the top countries where bad actors are originating their attacks on SMBs.
SaaS application security records
During the period dating January 1st to May 31st, 2021, SaaS Alerts monitored over 15M events and gathered and analysed anonymised SaaS application security records for over 750 small-to-mid-sized businesses and more than 30,000 end-users.
Access and visibility into this unique dataset provides SaaS Alerts a comprehensive and timely view of the current state of SaaS Application Security within the SMB market – and more specifically, within SMBs who are served by MSPs.
First-ever SASI report
How MSPs are currently pricing and marketing their new SaaS Security Monitoring services
Additionally, the report provides insight into how MSPs are currently pricing and marketing their new SaaS Security Monitoring services.
“Overall, the findings in our first-ever SASI report emphasise that MSPs need to reassess their security posture when it comes to protecting their customers’ SaaS Applications,” said Jim Lippie, CEO of SaaS Alerts
Customer security management
"We believe that sharing this data will help MSPs to identify strategies and develop new processes to manage customer security in a data environment now increasingly dominated by off-premise resources."
“Our goal is to continue to share this critical information in the hopes that together with our MSP Partners, we can better navigate the current cybersecurity threat landscape and enhance our understanding to better combat the risks that lie ahead.”
View of the SMB threat landscape
The data environment is also shifting – from local devices and network servers to Cloud-based data creation
With this inaugural edition of the report, SaaS Alerts has made a commitment to release its findings twice a year – and as the platform grows to include more users, these insights will become increasingly more valuable and give MSPs a more comprehensive view of the SMB threat landscape.
Businesses of all sizes are shifting to SaaS applications and away from locally installed applications. Naturally, at the same time, the data environment is also shifting – from local devices and network servers to Cloud-based data creation and storage.
User and network protection
This transition requires that technology service providers reconsider the notion of protecting users and networks and reimagine how they think about users and how they follow user behaviour.
This is accomplished by understanding how user negligence impacts a company’s security posture while also appreciating how bad actors are able to compromise SaaS environments.
Common user behaviours
SaaS Alerts saw an average of 3,000 brute force attacks per day leveraged against 750+ small businesses
In the first half of 2021, SaaS Alerts saw an average of 3,000 brute force attacks per day leveraged against 750+ small businesses while also uncovering a significant attack vector stemming from common user behaviours such as neglectful file-sharing practices and using M365 and Google Workspace credentials for authenticating third-party integrated applications.
These threats will not just go away, they will continue as the data in SaaS applications is valuable to bad actors and their attacks are successful enough to warrant continued effort.
Threats, trends, and activities
Meanwhile, end users will continue to take shortcuts, share anonymous files, and bypass safeguards in the name of convenience and increased productivity. As a community of technology professionals, with the right tools and a commitment to regular hygiene, many of these risks can be mitigated.
The SASI Report analyses the current threats, trends, and activities of SaaS Application users and provides valuable insights to help MSPs protect the companies they serve.
SaaS Alerts
Report analysis was carried out using proprietary anonymised data gathered via the usage of SaaS Alerts pursuant to its Master Services Agreement.
This and other data are used by SaaS Alerts to identify security and access trends in order to further advance its product and offerings and in order to meet the needs of its growing MSP partner community and the end customers whom it serves. User and business information is anonymised to protect corporate and individual usage data.
