SaaS applications, such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, power nearly every aspect of today’s digital operations. However, as businesses grow increasingly dependent on SaaS, cybercriminals have shifted their focus to the cloud.
Did you know Microsoft prevents over 4 million new malware attempts and scans 5 billion emails for phishing and malicious content every day? These staggering numbers indicate that the threat landscape is expanding and evolving faster than ever.
SaaS applications enable agility and scalability, but without robust protection, they can also become easy entry points for phishing and ransomware attacks.
In this article, we’ll share practical tips, insights and tools to help you better protect your SaaS applications from phishing and ransomware.
Phishing and ransomware: Understanding the threats in SaaS environments
Phishing remains the most damaging and persistent cybersecurity challenge facing businesses today. According to the 2026 Kaseya Cybersecurity Outlook Report, phishing scams have affected more businesses than any other type of attack, with more than half of businesses (56%) impacted to date and nearly half (49%) within the past year alone. Phishing attacks have surged by over 50% in early 2025 compared to the end of 2024.
Phishing is one of the most effective cyberattack methods attackers use to compromise accounts and gain unauthorized access to systems and SaaS applications. In these types of attacks, threat actors impersonate trusted individuals, brands or services to trick users into sharing sensitive information, such as passwords, login credentials, payment details or personal data. Once inside, they can move laterally across multiple connected SaaS platforms without triggering alerts.
Ransomware, on the other hand, is a type of malicious software that encrypts a victim’s cloud-stored files or systems, blocking access until a ransom is paid. As SaaS platforms sync automatically, even a single infected account can cascade across the entire organization in minutes. In the 2026 Kaseya Cybersecurity Outlook survey, more than 25% of respondents reported that their organization has been impacted by ransomware at least once. According to the 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, ransomware was involved in more than 40% of all breaches Verizon analyzed — a significant increase from 32% in 2024.
Ransomware attackers hold critical business data hostage and often demand payment for a decryption key. Many now also steal data and threaten to leak it — a tactic called double extortion. Kaseya’s cybersecurity outlook report indicates that ransom payments are rising, with nearly 20% of victims paying in 2025, up from 11% in 2024.
Phishing and ransomware are here to stay. In fact, with the emergence of “as-a-service” cybercrime models, such as Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) and Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), launching sophisticated campaigns no longer requires deep technical expertise. Modern cybercriminal groups leverage automation, ready-to-use phishing and ransomware kits and AI-powered tools to craft highly convincing phishing emails and accelerate malware development, making it harder than ever for traditional defenses to keep up.
Strategies to protect your SaaS applications from ransomware and phishing attacks
As ransomware and phishing attacks become more complex and frequent, businesses require proactive, layered defenses specifically designed for SaaS environments.
Here are a few strategies to consider for strengthening your SaaS security posture and staying ahead of evolving threats.
Enable MFA: Identity-based attacks now account for 30% of all intrusions, with nearly one in three breaches involving the use of valid credentials. Enforcing MFA adds a critical layer of protection for all accounts, lowering the risk of unauthorized access even if login credentials are compromised.
Enforce strong password policies: Weak or reused passwords are one of the easiest ways for attackers to break into your SaaS accounts. Encourage your employees to create complex, unique passwords and ensure they’re updated regularly.
Implement strong access management: Enforce the principle of least privilege by ensuring users have only the permissions they truly need. This minimizes the impact of compromised accounts and reduces opportunities for attackers to move laterally within your SaaS environment.
Back up your data: Invest in a reliable SaaS backup and recovery solution that automates backups and encrypts data both in transit and at rest.
Test recovery plans: Having a backup solution in place is a great first step. However, you must regularly test your backup and recovery procedures to ensure they are effective and meet your business continuity needs.
Develop an incident response plan: A comprehensive, well-documented incident response plan not only helps businesses minimize damage and downtime but also helps in quick recovery and compliance with industry regulations.
Adopt a SaaS monitoring and threat detection platform: Look for a dedicated SaaS security solution that actively monitors user activity for suspicious behavior, such as unusual file uploads or downloads, numerous failed logins or access from unapproved locations. Your solution should be able to identify and block known and unknown SaaS threats in real-time.
Train employees: Conduct regular security awareness training to educate your end users about the constantly evolving threats, such as phishing and ransomware. Adopt a solution that provides phishing simulation exercises to train employees in recognizing phishing attempts.
Use email filtering and anti-phishing tools: Implement advanced security solutions that detect and block phishing scams, including those imitating SaaS applications.
Conduct regular security updates and patching: Keep all software up to date, including plugins, SaaS integrations and third-party add-ons, so you can patch known vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them.
Monitor SaaS security posture: Look for cutting-edge tools that continuously monitor for configuration drift and other issues, such as Microsoft Secure Score, and enable you to apply security recommendations in minutes.
Kaseya 365 User’s layered approach to SaaS threat protection
Protecting your SaaS applications in today’s threat-laden business landscape requires more than basic security controls. Kaseya 365 User delivers a comprehensive, layered defense designed specifically for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. It combines proactive prevention, rapid response and seamless recovery to stop threats before they cause damage.
Here’s how Kaseya 365 User keeps your users, data and SaaS apps secure at every stage of the threat lifecycle.
Prevention
From advanced email security and dark web monitoring to phishing simulation and security awareness training, Kaseya 365 User gives you access to all the necessary security tools that not only block malicious attacks from reaching your employees’ inboxes but also build awareness and resilience among them.
Response
Kaseya 365 User’s cloud detection and response (CDR) platform continuously monitors your SaaS environments for abnormal activity. It uses machine learning pattern detection to identify deviations from typical user patterns, such as logging in from unusual locations, suspicious data transfers or privilege escalations. It instantly notifies IT teams when unusual or potentially harmful activity is detected and auto-remediates threats before they escalate into major issues. It can automatically lock an account or terminate a risky file-sharing activity without manual intervention.
Recovery
Even with strong prevention and response capabilities, SaaS data loss incidents can still occur due to phishing and ransomware attacks, user error, sync errors or natural disasters. Kaseya 365 User’s recovery module helps you get up and running quickly in the event of a disaster.
Its advanced backup automation and versatile recovery methods, such as point-in-time, granular and non-destructive restore options, ensure that data can be quickly restored from ransomware attacks or user error.
Ready to see how Kaseya 365 User can defend your SaaS environment from phishing, ransomware and beyond? Learn more.
