Everyone is the current IT decision maker. Organizational employees can install the plugin in just one click. There is no need to complete the team first. It’s great for productivity, but it’s a serious problem for your security attitude.
When the floodgates for Saas and Ai were opened, it was not only democratized, its safety rose. Employees are equipped with the app faster than the security team says, “You need to check this first.” As a result, Shadow It, embedded AI, and OAuth’s permission to infiltrate the cold sweat is a huge mess.
Here are five ways that democratization can undermine your organization’s security attitude and how it prevents it from doing so:
1. You cannot secure what you cannot see
Remember when security was used to control what was allowed to go through the firewall? Good time. Today, anyone can find an app that gives heavy lifting for them. If the app needs to access your company’s Google Drive, or if it has AI embedded, you won’t notice or care. These apps are typing stacks just below the nose. This process is fast, decentralized and a security nightmare.
How to solve it:
You need to fully visualize the entire application stack, such as Shadow IT or Shadow AI in use. How can this be achieved? This is how good is your discovery? Wing will automatically discover all your apps in use, whether it’s embedded with SaaS, internal apps, AI, or for AI agents, whether it’s hidden behind a personal login, OAuth connection, or browser extension. It surfaces risk levels, flags redundant or suspicious tools, and provides the power to review, limit, or remove them.
2. Shadow AI’s growth attack surface
AI tools are new shiny objects from Tech, containing all the users of your organization. From copying to deck generators, code assistants, and data crunches, most of them have never been reviewed or approved. The increased productivity of AI is enormous. Productivity is moving forward across every sector and every vertical.
So, what’s not going to work? Oh, there are no sensitive data leaks, uncontrolled API connections, persistent OAuth tokens, and no monitoring, audit logs, or privacy policies. This simply lists some of the very realistic and dangerous issues.
How to solve it:
You need a discovery tool that detects where AI is being used and how it is being used even if it is embedded in your application. WING continuously discovers apps using AI, AI agents, and Agetic AI embedded throughout your environment. This is not only something that you’re aware of, but also something that sneaks into a stack that you’re not aware of. It will alert you when your app suddenly adds AI features, so you will recognize this and not be caught up in surprise.
3. Supply Chain Violation: Your weakest link
Modern SaaS stacks form an interconnected ecosystem. Applications are integrated with each other via OAUTH tokens, API keys and third-party plugins to automate workflows and enable productivity. But all integrations are potential entry points, and attackers know that.
Compromising on lesser known SaaS tools with broad integration authority can serve as a stepping stone to more important systems. Abandoned apps connected via Shadow Integration, Unvetted AI Tools, and OAuth can create fragmented, risky supply chains. Worse, many of these connections work outside of security team visibility, especially when installed by end users without formal reviews or approvals.
This supply chain sprawl introduces hidden dependencies and expands the attack surface. This changes the connectivity of SaaS from a productivity driver to a threat vector.
How to solve it:
You need to fully visualize your app ecosystem from your app. WING Security maps all integrations across the stack, showing you how not only are SAAS connected to internal apps connected, but also how they are connected. This includes OAuth tokens, API scopes, and data access levels. Shadows and user-installed integrations are flagged to help you evaluate your security attitude at a glance. WING allows you to continuously monitor third-party access, enforce integration policies, and cancel high-risk connections before they become threats.
4. Compliance: You and Your Vendor’
Be honest – compliance has become a jungle due to democratization. From GDPR to SOC 2… Organizational compliance is hard to measure when employees use hundreds of SaaS tools and are scattered across more AI apps than their data knows. The table has two compliance challenges. You need to make sure the apps in the stack are compliant. You also need to ensure that your environment is under control if an audit occurs.
How to solve it:
You need to visualize all the apps in the stack, but you also need to add up how they will be combined when it comes to compliance. Wing provides you with what you need by identifying all your apps in use and if you are complying with industry regulations such as SOC2. Conclusion? If you are subject to an audit, you will be ready.
5. Offboarding: Forgotten users
Democratization doesn’t just change the way tools are employed, but the way access is removed. When employees leave, personal app accounts, browser extensions, and third-party integrations often stick. Still active, connected, and access to corporate data.
This creates serious security risks. Former employees often hold active OAUTH tokens connected to the corporate system. Tools connected through personal accounts may continue to sync sensitive corporate data to an external environment, creating hidden data exposure risks. Even if an employee leaves the company on good terms, if the account is compromised, the remaining access could be misused later. Also, many of these apps are not shown in IT security, which is even more risky.
How to solve it:
You must be able to see all the identities associated with the application in your system – both human and non-human. Active and not old, including those that are no longer in the company. Wing detects lingering accounts, tokens, and app access tied to former employees, even between apps that were not known to have been used.
Conclusion
The Demon of IT Democratization cannot be returned to the bottle. Teams continue to explore new tools, connect apps, and experiment with AI. But you can’t even close your eyes. Continuous visibility is required to help control the rapidly expanding attack surface. Not only do you have a list of all unauthorized apps, you also need to know who has access to it if it poses a risk to your organization, and you need the ability to act quickly if you need a response. Context is important when it comes to ensuring application attack surfaces.
The wings help to embrace agility without sacrificing safety. We bring your chaos into view and control your team without slowing down your organization.
Are you ready to see what’s hidden in the stack? Look at what the wings can show you.
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