What is SSPM, Why It Matters, and How It Stops Real-World Attacks.

With the introduction of team Sabiki’s latest Saas Security Posture Management (SSPM) feature, we dive into the what and why of SSPM and how it directly benefits our AI powered Email security engine.

The Sabiki dynamic email security engine is evolving, and so is the threat actor. As team Sabiki proactively mark more data points within the environment for the context of advanced Business Email Compromise, it has become clear that there is a huge overlap between Email and identity and then to the underlying security configuration of related services.

As organizations shift more of their operations to the cloud, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms like Microsoft Entra ID, Teams, and Copilot are becoming central to daily business workflows. These platforms bring convenience and scalability—but they also expand the attack surface. Misconfigurations, excessive permissions, and lack of visibility can quickly open the door to costly breaches.

This is where SSPM (SaaS Security Posture Management) comes in.

What is SSPM?

SSPM is a category of security solutions designed to assess and strengthen the security posture of SaaS environments. Instead of relying on periodic audits or manual reviews, SSPM tools provide visibility into how SaaS applications are configured, where risks exist, and how to remediate them before attackers exploit them.

Think of SSPM as a specialized guardrail: it ensures that SaaS apps are configured securely, identities are protected, and sensitive data isn’t left exposed.

Think of it also as running a healthcheck on your SaaS application security settings. Often a SaaS vendor will have their own best practice guidance, but this does not often take into consideration the evolving combinations of these configurations and the risk profile, nor any existing indicators of attack or compromise.

Why SSPM Matters

Modern attacks may often start with a phishing email—but then immediately following this, with a simple configuration mistake you are leaving the front door open for the attacker to proceed with a breach. Some common examples include:

  • Over-permissive accounts: Users granted admin rights when they don’t need them.

  • Misconfigured identity policies: Missing MFA enforcement or weak conditional access rules.

  • Third-party app risks: Unvetted integrations with broad data access.

  • Exposed data: Files and chats shared publicly or beyond intended audiences.

Traditional security tools aren’t built to deeply understand and remediate SaaS-specific risks. SSPM fills this gap, giving security teams the visibility they need to harden their SaaS ecosystems.

Real-World Attack Scenarios Where SSPM Would Have Helped

1. The SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack

While famous for its software supply chain compromise, part of the breach success came from over-permissive accounts and lack of identity controls in Microsoft environments. An SSPM solution could have flagged risky admin accounts, missing MFA, and suspicious third-party integrations well before attackers moved laterally.

2. OAuth Token Abuse in Microsoft 365

Attackers have increasingly used malicious OAuth apps to trick users into granting broad access to their mailbox and files. Once approved, attackers don’t need passwords at all—they operate with legitimate tokens. SSPM tools can detect suspicious app consents, overbroad permissions, and unusual API calls, helping stop this kind of persistence.

3. Misconfigured Teams Sharing Leading to Data Exposure

Several incidents have shown that sensitive documents and conversations were shared beyond the intended scope—sometimes even made public. SSPM solutions can scan for misconfigured sharing policies and alert organizations before accidental data leaks occur.

4. Ransomware Spread via Entra ID Misconfigurations

Attackers frequently exploit weak identity posture to spread ransomware across SaaS environments. Without conditional access and MFA, one compromised account can cascade. SSPM can identify these weaknesses before they’re exploited, closing off the very pathways ransomware relies on.

Preparing for the Future

As SaaS platforms like Entra ID, Teams, and Copilot evolve, the complexity of managing their security grows. SSPM ensures you don’t have to rely solely on manual processes or after-the-fact audits—it gives proactive insight into your SaaS risk posture.

By integrating SSPM into your security stack, you:

  • Gain visibility into your SaaS risks

  • Reduce the likelihood of data breaches

  • Strengthen compliance posture

  • Protect both identities and data

In short: SSPM matters because SaaS is the new backbone of business. Misconfigurations are the new vulnerabilities. SSPM is the safeguard.

The Sabiki for Entra ID solution is just this, an SSPM designed for Entra ID.

Secure by design, but not by default, Entra ID is the low hanging fruit that attackers can usually count on having a misconfiguration allowing them to compromise your environment. The Sabiki AI engine is not only contextualizing user telemetry for email protection, but we are now exposing this data for customers to scan, review and report on their security posture within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

For more details on our new SSPM capability, click here