Managing security across dozens or even hundreds of SaaS apps has become a major headache. Each tool has its own settings, permissions, and logs, and most third-party risk processes only look at the vendor’s overall security, not the app itself. That leaves gaps you have to close on your own, often with limited visibility and extra work for both your team and procurement.
The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) wants to change that with a new SaaS Security Capability Framework (SSCF). Released on September 24, this framework lays out a standard set of security controls that SaaS vendors should build into their products. It was created with input from the CSA’s SaaS Working Group, which includes companies like MongoDB and GuidePoint Security, to help everyone speak the same language when it comes to securing SaaS.
“The SaaS Security Capability Framework represents a significant step forward for the industry,” said Brian Soby, AppOmni CTO, and SSCF lead author. “It provides a consistent, and much-needed standard that will help organizations move past outdated risk assessments and build zero trust principles into their SaaS environments.”
Why SaaS security needs a baseline
The SaaS market has grown so quickly that there has never been a standard for what application-level security features vendors should provide. The result is a patchwork of capabilities. One app might give you logging and detailed access controls, while another offers only the basics. Security teams end up juggling different tools and processes for each application, which slows them down and increases risk.
Enterprises feel this pain when they try to bring in a new vendor. Each onboarding process becomes a unique project, with custom questionnaires, long review cycles, and lots of back-and-forth. Startups face the reverse problem. They need to guess which security features enterprises expect, often building things piecemeal to pass procurement checks.
The SSCF aims to simplify this for both sides. It gives enterprises a consistent way to evaluate vendors and helps vendors understand what their customers will expect before they even start the sales process.
Six key areas of SaaS security
Version 1.0 of the SSCF includes six domains, each covering a core area of SaaS security:
- Change Control and Configuration Management (CCC): Managing changes safely and keeping configurations secure.
- Data Security and Privacy Lifecycle Management (DSP): Handling file uploads and privacy settings securely.
- Identity and Access Management (IAM): Managing users, enforcing strong authentication, and controlling access.
- Interoperability and Portability (IPY): Controlling data exports and managing integrations with other services.
- Logging and Monitoring (LOG): Giving customers usable, timely logs that capture security events.
- Security Incident Management, E-Discovery, and Cloud Forensics (SEF): Setting up ways to communicate during incidents.
Each domain includes detailed controls. Some are hard requirements, such as enforcing MFA, disabling anonymous access, and delivering logs within 24 hours. Others are implementation guidelines that describe best practices vendors should follow.
Focus on shared responsibility
The framework is built on the Shared Security Responsibility Model (SSRM). SaaS providers are responsible for creating and offering these controls. Customers are responsible for using them correctly to secure their users and data.
By focusing only on what customers can see and configure, the SSCF avoids overlap with other standards like SOC 2 or ISO 27001. For example, encryption of data at rest remains the vendor’s job and is already covered elsewhere. The SSCF focuses on giving customers the tools to manage things like access policies, audit logs, and user activity.
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