Top 50 SaaS Apps With the Worst Compliance Track Records

Martin Snyder
2 days ago
4 min read

If you’re hunting for a “do-not-use” list, here’s the honest take: Waldo Security helps you find every SaaS app and account in minutes, flag risky OAuth scopes and SSO/MFA gaps, and export audit-ready evidence—so you can judge vendors against your risk and regulatory context instead of someone else’s headline. Start with Instant SaaS Discovery, then keep your proof tidy with the SaaS Compliance Overview.

Why a simple “worst 50” list is misleading (and risky)

Enforcement is nuanced and ongoing. Many actions are appealed or narrowed; the same headline fine can reflect very different facts. Even respected surveys note appeals and context caveats. (DLA Piper Blogs)
“Worst for whom?” depends on your data. A marketing tool with minor cookie missteps is not the same risk as a messaging platform holding customer PII or PHI.
Fairness matters. Publishing an accusatory scoreboard without full context can be inaccurate or defamatory. Better to use transparent, public signals and apply them to your environment.

So instead of a name-and-shame wall, here’s a research-backed way to build your own vendor risk list—with sources you (and auditors) can verify.

The public signals that actually count

GDPR enforcement databases
- DLA Piper’s annual survey summarizes trends and totals (e.g., ~€1.2B in 2024 fines), with important caveats about appeals. (DLA Piper)
- The independent GDPR Enforcement Tracker provides a searchable index and running totals (cumulative fines surpassed €6.22B by May 2025). (enforcementtracker.com)
U.S. privacy/security enforcement
- FTC—decades of orders over poor security or deceptive practices; the enforcement page links to current actions and orders. (Federal Trade Commission)
UK enforcement
- ICO publishes current enforcement and fines; useful for spotting recurring issues and themes. (ICO)
Healthcare (PHI) visibility
- HHS/OCR Breach Portal lists reported breaches ≥500 individuals—good signal for vendors that touch PHI (including SaaS business associates). (OCR Portal)

Use these sources to verify patterns—not to cherry-pick headlines.

How to build your own “Top 50” (in a defensible way)

Step 1 — Start with reality, not memory

Create a living inventory of apps, tenants, accounts, and OAuth connections. Tag each with owner, department, SSO/MFA status, admin count, and data sensitivity.

With Waldo: discovery correlates identity, email, network, and spend to reveal sanctioned, unsanctioned, and AI tools in minutes.

Step 2 — Pull public signals per vendor

For each app handling sensitive data, check:

GDPR fines or decisions (use the Enforcement Tracker and DLA Piper survey notes). (enforcementtracker.com, DLA Piper)
FTC orders/complaints tied to data security or deceptive practices. (Federal Trade Commission)
ICO actions for UK-facing vendors. (ICO)
If healthcare: appearances on the OCR Breach Portal (as vendor or business associate). (OCR Portal)

Step 3 — Score by exposure × posture × history

Use a simple, auditable rubric (0–5 points each):

Exposure (what data + what access)
- Handles customer PII/PHI/code/financials (0–5)
- High-privilege scopes (e.g., *.ReadWrite.All) or broad API access (0–5)
Posture (how it’s configured)
- SSO/MFA enforced? token hygiene? guest controls? (0–5)
History (public signals)
- Recent regulator actions; repeated or similar issues; breach listings (0–5)

Sort descending. Your “Top 50” are the highest scores—for your environment, not the internet at large.

Step 4 — Route fixes by owner, not by debate

Require SSO/MFA on high-exposure apps.
Right-size OAuth scopes; remove offline_access where persistence isn’t needed.
Lock down external sharing and guest roles.
Document exceptions with a timer and an owner.

Step 5 — Keep the evidence fresh

Maintain a monthly packet: SSO coverage, admin changes, token revocations, sharing exceptions, and any new regulator actions you reviewed.

With Waldo: exportable evidence aligns to SOC 2/ISO 27001/HIPAA and cuts renewal/audit thrash.

Red flags that should move a vendor up your list

Repeat enforcement (multiple actions across years/jurisdictions). Use FTC/ICO trackers to confirm. (Federal Trade Commission, ICO)
Pattern of similar failures (e.g., authentication, transparency).
Opaque sub-processor lists or unclear data-location commitments.
Weak identity options (no SSO/MFA, or customers can’t enforce them).
Durable delegated access (broad OAuth scopes plus refresh tokens) with no clear token rotation/revocation story.

A 30-day plan you can actually finish

Week 1 — See it

Run discovery, tag sensitivity, SSO/MFA, admins, scopes. Flag the top 25 high-exposure apps.

Week 2 — Verify it

For those 25, pull public signals (GDPR, FTC, ICO, OCR). Add “history” scores and produce your first ranked list.

Week 3 — Fix it

Enforce SSO/MFA, prune admin sprawl, revoke unused persistent tokens, narrow *.ReadWrite.All scopes. Capture before/after in your evidence pack.

Week 4 — Prove it

Ship a short memo to leadership: your method, ranked list, remediations completed, and what’s next. Set a monthly cadence.

FAQs (the ones your execs will ask)

“Can’t we just use a public blacklist?”

Not safely. Lists age fast, lack context, and don’t reflect your data flows. Regulators and auditors will ask how the list maps to your risk—not someone else’s. Use primary sources and your rubric instead. (enforcementtracker.com, Federal Trade Commission)

“What if a critical vendor shows issues?”

Reduce blast radius: enforce identity controls, limit scopes, segregate data, and add monitoring/alerting. Document compensating controls and timelines.

“Will this slow teams down?”

Not if you pair guardrails with a fast lane. Publish clear defaults, allowlists, and an approval SLA—then automate the checks.

Bottom line: A “worst 50” list makes for clicks; a defensible, data-driven shortlist makes for safer decisions. Get your ground truth with Instant SaaS Discovery, then turn regulator signals into practical guardrails and clean evidence via the SaaS Compliance Overview. Your security story—and your audits—will be better for it.