SaaS and software companies
Penetration Testing for SaaS and Software Companies
SaaS companies sell trust: one tenant’s data must never reach another, and every enterprise buyer asks for proof. Invadel tests multi-tenant applications, APIs, and cloud environments at a fixed price, with a free retest and reports that close SOC 2 audits and security reviews.
The stakes
Why SaaS gets tested differently
The attack that ends a SaaS company is cross-tenant access. One customer reads another’s records through an identifier change, a misapplied role, or a background job that skips the authorization check. Around it sit the other routes to the same data. SSO and invitation flows that can be hijacked, and API keys with more scope than the integration needs. A cloud account where one leaked credential reaches every tenant at once.
The buyer pressure is constant. Enterprise prospects send security questionnaires that ask for a recent third-party penetration test before procurement will sign. SOC 2 auditors expect one as evidence for the Security criteria in every observation window. Customers in regulated sectors pass their own obligations down. PCI DSS if you touch card data, HIPAA if you hold health records, GDPR if EU personal data flows through the product.
A generic web application test rarely provisions two tenants and tries to cross between them, which is the only way to find the flaw that matters most. It also tends to test one release and disappear, while your team ships weekly. SaaS testing needs tenant-aware scoping, API coverage that matches what integrations can actually call, and a cadence that keeps the evidence current for the next questionnaire.
What we test
The systems attackers go after first
Multi-tenant web application
The product itself, tested with at least two tenants and every role. Cross-tenant data access, privilege escalation between roles, and abuse of workflows such as invitations and exports.
Public and partner APIs
The REST and GraphQL endpoints your customers and integrations call, tested for broken object authorization, excessive data exposure, and API keys scoped wider than intended.
Authentication and SSO
Login, SAML and OIDC federation, session handling, and account recovery, tested for bypass, token weaknesses, and the tenant boundary during identity provider onboarding.
Cloud infrastructure and Kubernetes
The AWS, Azure, or GCP environment hosting every tenant, tested for IAM escalation, exposed storage, and service accounts that turn one compromised container into the whole cluster.
CI/CD and the software supply chain
Build pipelines, secrets in repositories, and dependency handling, reviewed for the paths that let a compromised developer account or package reach production.
AI features and copilots
LLM-powered assistants and agents inside the product, tested for prompt injection, data leakage across tenants, and tool calls that act with more authority than the user has.
Compliance
The frameworks that usually apply
- SOC 2
The penetration test auditors expect in every observation window, with findings mapped to the Trust Services Criteria and formatted for Vanta, Drata, or your GRC platform.
- ISO 27001
Annex A 8.8 and 8.29 evidence for the product and infrastructure inside your ISMS scope, timed around certification and surveillance audits.
- GDPR
Article 32 testing evidence for the data processing agreements EU customers sign with you as their processor.
Services
What SaaS teams usually buy
- From $5,200
Web Application Penetration Testing
Manual testing of your web app across the OWASP Top 10, business logic, and every user role, from $5,200.
- From $4,000
API Penetration Testing Services
REST, GraphQL, and SOAP testing for broken authorization, token flaws, and data exposure, from $4,000.
- From $6,800
Cloud Penetration Testing
Configuration and exploitation testing across AWS, Azure, and GCP, from $6,800.
- From $4,500
AI & LLM Penetration Testing
LLM and AI system testing: prompt injection, jailbreaks, data leakage, and unsafe tool use, from $4,500.
Penetration Testing as a Service
Recurring senior-led testing and validated scanning, delivered as one ongoing program.
How it runs
Typical engagements
Illustrative scopes for this industry, written to show what a test covers and what you walk away with. They are not client stories; our anonymized engagements are on the case studies page.
Typical engagement
Series A SaaS startup before its first SOC 2 Type II
A Series A collaboration platform is inside its first SOC 2 Type II observation window and the auditor’s evidence list includes a penetration test. We test the web application with two tenants and four roles, the public API, and the AWS account behind them. A cross-tenant flaw in a file-sharing endpoint is fixed and retested before the window closes. The report maps findings to the Trust Services Criteria and uploads straight into the compliance platform.
Typical engagement
Growth-stage vendor stuck in an enterprise security review
A growth-stage HR software vendor has a large enterprise deal held up by a questionnaire that asks for a recent independent test. We scope the application, the SCIM and SSO integrations the customer will use, and the API, and start testing within the week. The executive summary and attestation letter answer the questionnaire directly, and the technical report goes to engineering. The retest evidence shows the findings closed before the contract review.
Typical engagement
Established platform moving to a recurring testing program
An established analytics platform shipping several releases a week finds that an annual test leaves most of the year uncovered. We build a program: quarterly manual test windows across the application, API, and cloud, validated scanning between them, and rolling retests as fixes ship. Findings post to the platform as they are confirmed, the same senior team returns each window, and every customer review gets a current report.
FAQ
What SaaS buyers ask
01What does an enterprise security review expect from a SaaS penetration test?
A dated report from an independent firm covering the product and its APIs, a described methodology, findings rated by severity, and evidence of remediation. Most reviews also accept an attestation letter in place of the full technical report. Our SaaS penetration testing guide lists what buyers and auditors ask for and how to time the test.
02Do you test for cross-tenant access specifically?
Yes, on every SaaS engagement. We provision at least two tenants and multiple roles in each. Then we try to reach one tenant’s data from the other through every endpoint, export, webhook, and background job we can find. Provide the test accounts during scoping and we exercise all of them.
03How often should a SaaS company run penetration testing?
At least annually and inside each SOC 2 observation window, plus after any major release or re-platforming. Teams that deploy weekly usually move to a recurring program with quarterly manual windows and validated scanning between them. The evidence then never goes stale for the next questionnaire.
04How much does a SaaS penetration test cost?
Web application testing starts at $5,200, API testing at $4,000, and cloud testing at $6,800, fixed in writing before work starts and including a free retest. A typical first engagement combines the application and API. Recurring programs are quoted as one fixed annual price with no credits or seats.
05Can you test our AI features alongside the product?
Yes. Assistants, copilots, and agents inside the product are tested for prompt injection, cross-tenant data leakage through retrieval, and tool calls that exceed the user’s permissions. AI testing starts at $4,500 and can be scoped into the same engagement as the application test, with one report covering both.
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