Manage Shadow SaaS

55% of Shadow SaaS Apps Are Accessing Your Core Data

Shadow SaaS—unapproved apps bypassing IdP controls—often connect to critical tools like Salesforce and Google Workspace, expanding the attack surface without oversight.

The Challenge
Shadow SaaS App Inventory Grows 25% Every 60 Days
App-to-App Connections Move 10x More Data Than Users
Shadow SaaS Creates
Unwanted and Duplicative Spend
The Obsidian Approach
Discover: Create a Comprehensive Inventory of Applications

- Integrated with identity providers (IdPs) for seamless connectivity
- Provides a detailed inventory of all OAuth integrations across SaaS apps, identifying overpermissioned and unused connections
- Monitors browser activity to capture app usage patterns and flag OAuth-enabled apps with elevated permissions
- Analyzes email headers and access token duration to uncover app-to-app interactions and flag risky authorizations

Collect & Analyze: Identify Authorized but Unfederated Apps

- Detect all sanctioned, federated, and unfederated OAuth applications that bypass your IdP, increasing the risk of unauthorized access
- Gain insights into user details, login frequency, and authentication methods (passwords or SSO)
- Spot shared service accounts for better risk assessment
- Distinguish corporate from personal app usage
- Pinpoint apps that pose real data risks

Respond: Receive Targeted Alerts for Shadow SaaS

- Analyze Shadow SaaS interactions with key business apps (e.g., Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday)
- Identify both active and inactive OAuth integrations for complete visibility, prioritizing deactivation of unused connections
- Correlate integrations with risk factors like elevated permissions, long-lived tokens, and suspicious access behaviors
- Gain clear visibility into inactive and over-permissioned integrations to prioritize risk mitigation effectively and control SaaS-related expenses

Other Posture Management Use Cases
What customers are saying
Obsidian discovered 1,964 active apps that had not been admin-approved. 91% could be turned off, which drastically minimized our attack surface.

Chief Information Security Officer, Leading Financial Institution

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Shadow SaaS and why is it a security risk?

Shadow SaaS refers to unauthorized or unmanaged SaaS applications used within an organization, often without IT or security oversight. These apps can expose sensitive data, increase compliance risks, and lead to duplicate or unnecessary expenses, as they often bypass identity provider (IdP) controls and create unmanaged app-to-app connections.

How quickly does a Shadow SaaS app inventory grow?

Shadow SaaS app inventories are shown to grow by 25% every 60 days. This rapid expansion makes it difficult for organizations to maintain proper security controls and prevent data leakage or unwanted spend.

How does Obsidian help discover Shadow SaaS applications?

Obsidian integrates with identity providers (IdPs) to deliver a comprehensive inventory of all OAuth integrations and SaaS apps in use. It monitors 3 vectors where these apps appear: browser activity, email headers, and SaaS integrations to identify both legitimate and high-risk or unused app-to-app connections.

What are OAuth integrations and why do they matter in SaaS security?

OAuth integrations allow applications to access data or services from other applications on a user's behalf. Unmonitored or unused OAuth connections can grant excessive permissions, making them a common attack vector and a critical focus for security posture management.

Can Obsidian detect unfederated or unauthorized applications?

Yes, Obsidian identifies all OAuth applications, including sanctioned, federated, and unfederated apps that bypass your IdP. This enables organizations to detect and address apps that may have unauthorized access to corporate data, even if they avoid standard authentication pathways.

How does Obsidian help organizations manage app-to-app data movement?

Obsidian analyzes and correlates app-to-app interactions, identifying risky data flows and flagging OAuth-enabled apps with elevated permissions or long-lived tokens. This visibility helps organizations govern how data moves between apps, reducing the chances of data breaches and compliance violations.

What actions can organizations take with Obsidian's insights on Shadow SaaS?

Organizations can receive targeted alerts on both active and inactive app integrations, allowing them to quickly deactivate unused or risky connections. This helps minimize the attack surface, control unnecessary expenses, and prioritize risk mitigation based on real-time usage and threat factors.

How does Obsidian impact SaaS security and cost management?

Obsidian helps dramatically reduce the number of unapproved, high-risk applications in use—one customer was able to turn off 91% of 1,964 discovered active apps, drastically minimizing both the attack surface and duplicate SaaS spend. This continuous monitoring supports both stronger security and more efficient SaaS cost management.

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