Connectorless SaaS Discovery

Connectorless SaaS Discovery is a cybersecurity methodology used to identify, inventory, and assess an organization’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) usage without requiring direct integration, administrative credentials, API tokens, or software agents.

Unlike traditional asset management, which relies on "connecting" to a central identity provider (such as Okta or Azure AD) or to the SaaS application itself (such as Salesforce), Connectorless Discovery adopts an "Outside-In" approach. It leverages Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and external digital signals—such as DNS records, SSL certificates, and public web infrastructure—to map the organization’s SaaS footprint from the perspective of an external observer or attacker.

This approach is critical for uncovering Shadow IT—applications employees use without IT's knowledge or permission—because it does not require the security team to know about an application in advance to detect it.

How Connectorless Discovery Works

Connectorless discovery engines scan the public internet to find the "digital exhaust" that SaaS applications create when they are adopted by an organization.

• DNS Permutation & Analysis: When a department signs up for a SaaS tool (e.g., Zendesk or Hubspot), they often create a custom subdomain (e.g., support.companyname.com). Connectorless tools scan for DNS records (CNAME, TXT, MX) to identify which vendors host a company's subdomains.

• Certificate Transparency Logs: Every time a secure SaaS application issues an SSL/TLS certificate for a company domain, it is logged in public ledgers. Connectorless tools monitor these logs to spot new SaaS tenants (e.g., marketing-dev.herokuapp.com) the moment they are provisioned.

• Web Fingerprinting: The discovery engine crawls public-facing assets to detect specific technology signatures, such as unique HTML headers, JavaScript trackers, or login portals that indicate the presence of specific SaaS platforms (e.g., detecting a specific chat widget code indicates the use of Intercom or Drift).

• Passive Infrastructure Mapping: By analyzing IP addresses and autonomous system numbers (ASNs) where company assets reside, the tool can determine whether corporate data is hosted on third-party SaaS infrastructure (e.g., AWS S3 buckets or WPEngine) rather than on-premises servers.

Connectorless vs. API-Based Discovery

The primary difference lies in visibility and friction.

• API-Based Discovery (Internal View):

  • Method: Connects to known systems (SSO, Firewalls, Finance).

  • Requirement: Requires admin credentials and pre-authorization.

  • Blind Spot: Can only see apps that are already managed or passing through a specific gateway. It cannot see a rogue SaaS app used by a remote employee on a personal device.

• Connectorless Discovery (External View):

  • Method: Scans the public internet for footprints.

  • Requirement: Zero credentials or internal access.

  • Advantage: Discovers "Unknown Unknowns" (Shadow IT) that have no official trail in the internal systems.

Strategic Benefits of Connectorless Discovery

1. Zero-Touch Deployment Because it relies on external public data, Connectorless Discovery delivers immediate value without weeks of configuration. There are no agents to install on laptops, no API keys to generate, and no privacy reviews required for reading employee emails or financial logs.

2. Uncovering Shadow IT It is the only method effective at finding "Rogue" SaaS usage that completely bypasses corporate controls. If a marketing team buys a SaaS tool with a personal credit card and uses it from a home network, internal logs will miss it—but the external DNS record they created to host the landing page will reveal it.

3. Vendor Risk Assessment Connectorless tools often assess the security posture of the discovered SaaS vendor simultaneously. Since the discovery is external, the tool can also scan the vendor’s configuration (e.g., checking for open ports or expired certificates) to provide a risk score alongside the discovery.

4. Supply Chain Visibility It maps the "Fourth Party" risk. By seeing which SaaS providers your organization connects to, you can map your digital supply chain and understand where your data might reside geographically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Connectorless SaaS Discovery invade employee privacy? No. It analyzes public infrastructure (servers, domains, certificates), not private user data. It does not read emails, inspect browser history, or decrypt traffic, making it privacy-neutral compared to browser extensions or email scanners.

Can it find every SaaS application? It finds SaaS applications that leave a public footprint. It is excellent for identifying apps that host content (e.g., file sharing, marketing, or support desks), but may miss internal-only tools that do not require DNS changes or public certificates (e.g., a small calculator app used in a browser).

Is Connectorless Discovery a replacement for a CASB? No, it is a compliment. A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) controls access and policy for known apps. Connectorless Discovery identifies unknown apps so they can be brought under CASB management.

How fast is the discovery process? Since there is no software installation, discovery is typically near-instant. An organization can often see a map of their external SaaS footprint within minutes of initiating a scan.

ThreatNG and Connectorless SaaS Discovery

ThreatNG is the premier engine for Connectorless SaaS Discovery, using an "Outside-In" architecture to identify, inventory, and assess an organization's Software-as-a-Service usage without requiring API keys, administrative credentials, or internal agents.

By scanning the digital footprint from an external adversary's perspective, ThreatNG uncovers Shadow IT and unauthorized SaaS tenants that internal tools miss, providing a comprehensive map of the organization's true digital supply chain.

External Discovery: The "Outside-In" Radar

ThreatNG’s External Discovery capabilities are the core of its connectorless approach. Instead of asking internal systems which SaaS apps are approved, it asks the public internet which SaaS apps are actively used.

• DNS and Subdomain Enumeration: ThreatNG recursively scans for DNS records (CNAME, TXT, MX) that point to known SaaS providers. It identifies unauthorized subdomains (e.g., marketing-team.hubspot.com or dev-test.herokuapp.com) that act as undeniable proof of SaaS consumption.

• Certificate Transparency Analysis: The discovery engine monitors public certificate logs. When a department spins up a new SaaS instance and secures it with an SSL certificate containing the company name, ThreatNG detects this event immediately, identifying the new vendor relationship without any internal notification.

• Digital Footprint Mapping: ThreatNG identifies the unique digital signatures—such as specific JavaScript trackers, helpdesk widgets, or login portal structures—hosted on company assets. This reveals the "Invisible" SaaS tools (like chatbots or analytics platforms) embedded in the organization's web presence.

External Assessment: Vendor Risk at the Source

Finding the SaaS application is only the first step. ThreatNG’s External Assessment engine evaluates the risk of the discovered vendor and the specific tenant configuration, providing immediate context on whether the shadow app is safe.

• Technical Security Assessment (Technical Resources):

  • The Scenario: A marketing team uses a niche file-sharing SaaS that IT did not approve.

  • ThreatNG Assessment: The engine scans the login portal of this shadow SaaS app. It discovers the vendor is using expired SSL certificates and outdated web server software. ThreatNG flags this as a "High Risk" shadow asset, prompting immediate blocking.

• Business Viability Assessment (Financial & Legal Resources):

  • The Scenario: Engineering relies on a code repository tool discovered by ThreatNG.

  • ThreatNG Assessment: ThreatNG assesses the vendor using Financial and Legal Resources. It reveals the vendor has filed for bankruptcy and is facing lawsuits for data negligence. This critical intelligence warns the organization that its code is stored with a failing provider, a risk that technical scanning alone would miss.

Investigation Modules: Validating the Shadow Tenant

ThreatNG’s investigation modules allow analysts to deep-dive into discovered SaaS assets to confirm ownership and investigate potential data leaks associated with them.

• Cloud and SaaS Exposure Investigation:

  • The Capability: When a potential shadow tenant is identified (e.g., an S3 bucket or a GitHub organization), this module allows the analyst to safely investigate its contents and configuration.

  • The Outcome: The analyst can confirm whether the bucket contains sensitive corporate data or the GitHub repository is public, verifying that SaaS usage is not merely "Shadow IT" but an active "Data Leak."

• Domain Intelligence and Pivoting:

  • The Capability: Analysts pivot on the custom domains used by SaaS providers.

  • The Outcome: If ThreatNG finds secure-login-company.saas-vendor.com, the analyst uses this module to see who registered the underlying domain. If it is linked to a personal email address (e.g., john.doe@gmail.com) rather than a corporate one, it confirms the SaaS account is unmanaged and likely violates policy.

Continuous Monitoring: Tracking SaaS Sprawl

Connectorless discovery must be continuous to be effective. ThreatNG’s Continuous Monitoring ensures that the organization keeps pace with the rapid adoption of new tools.

• New Tenant Alerting: The moment a new SaaS subdomain or certificate appears on the public internet, ThreatNG triggers an alert. This allows the security team to intercept use of a new, unapproved tool (such as a generative AI platform) within hours of adoption, rather than during an annual audit.

• Drift Detection: If a previously known SaaS asset changes its posture—for example, if a "Private" Trello board suddenly becomes indexed by search engines—ThreatNG detects this drift and notifies the team of the exposure.

Intelligence Repositories: Breach Context

ThreatNG’s Intelligence Repositories provide the historical threat context for every discovered vendor.

• Ransomware and Dark Web Correlation: When ThreatNG discovers a new SaaS vendor, it checks the vendor against its dark web and ransomware repositories. If the vendor has recently been compromised by a ransomware group, ThreatNG alerts the user that their "Shadow SaaS" provider is currently under active exploitation, elevating the criticality of the finding.

Reporting: The Shadow IT Audit

ThreatNG’s Reporting capabilities generate the artifacts needed to govern SaaS adoption.

• Shadow IT Inventory Reports: These reports provide a complete list of discovered SaaS applications, categorized by risk level and business function. They serve as the "Reality Check" document that CISOs present to the CIO, contrasting the "Official" software list with the "Actual" software footprint.

Complementary Solutions

ThreatNG works as the external discovery engine that feeds actionable data into internal management and enforcement platforms.

Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) ThreatNG finds the unknown; CASB manages the known.

• Cooperation: CASB tools are excellent at managing policy for known apps but often miss rogue apps that don't pass through the firewall. ThreatNG acts as the "Feeder" for the CASB. It provides the list of newly discovered, high-risk shadow apps. The CASB administrator then inputs these apps into the CASB's blocklist, effectively closing the loop between discovery and enforcement.

Vendor Risk Management (VRM) Platforms ThreatNG automates vendor identification.

• Cooperation: VRM teams often struggle to know which vendors to assess. ThreatNG populates the VRM platform with a list of active vendors. When ThreatNG discovers a new SaaS tool, it triggers the VRM system to initiate a vendor assessment workflow, ensuring that no vendor operates without a risk review.

SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) ThreatNG validates the external perimeter.

• Cooperation: SSPM tools look at the internal settings of a SaaS app (e.g., "Is MFA on?"). ThreatNG complements this by assessing external exposure. If an SSPM says a Salesforce tenant is secure, but ThreatNG discovers a "Public Guest User" portal exposed to the internet, ThreatNG provides the external validation that prompts the SSPM team to re-evaluate their configuration policies.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) ThreatNG identifies Single Sign-On (SSO) gaps.

• Cooperation: IAM systems manage authorized logins. ThreatNG identifies apps that bypass IAM. If ThreatNG discovers a SaaS portal that uses local username/password authentication instead of the corporate SSO, it flags this "Identity Gap" to the IAM team, enabling them to force the application into the centralized identity framework.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does ThreatNG find SaaS apps without an agent? It uses Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques to scan the public internet for DNS records, SSL certificates, and web page signatures that uniquely identify specific SaaS vendors.

Can ThreatNG assess the security of the SaaS vendor itself? Yes. Through its External Assessment, ThreatNG evaluates the vendor's digital hygiene, legal standing, and financial health, giving you a comprehensive risk profile of the provider, not just your specific instance.

Does ThreatNG require API access to the SaaS app? No. It is purely Connectorless. It assesses the application from the outside, exactly as a potential attacker would, requiring no credentials or permissions.