How do I find risky external users invited into my SaaS apps?

To find risky external users invited into your SaaS apps, you need to review guest accounts, shared folders, external collaboration settings, OAuth permissions, and third-party identity links across every SaaS platform. Most organizations underestimate how many external contractors, partners, vendors, or former collaborators still have access to SaaS data, and many apps do not automatically expire or revoke these invitations.

Security teams often use platforms like FrontierZero to centralize all external identities, map what they can access, and flag high-risk accounts with broad or outdated permissions.

Why External Users Are Hard to Track Across SaaS

External identities sit outside normal HR, IAM, and offboarding workflows. SaaS apps often treat external users as “trusted collaborators” even if they don’t work for your company anymore.

1. SaaS apps allow easy guest invitations

Employees can invite:

  • contractors
  • consultants
  • partners
  • freelancers
  • vendor support engineers

…with a single click.

These users often never get removed.

2. External users don’t show up in your identity provider

Most external accounts authenticate through:

  • their own Google/Microsoft identity
  • personal accounts
  • external domains

This means:

  • they don’t appear in HR systems
  • they bypass internal offboarding
  • MFA requirements may not apply to them

FrontierZero maps these identities as part of the external attack surface.

3. SaaS platforms rarely auto-expire guest access

Most tools do not remove external users when:

  • a project ends
  • a document is no longer shared
  • the invite is forgotten
  • the contractor leaves their company

These accounts often accumulate for years.

4. External users can inherit powerful permissions

Depending on the SaaS app, external accounts may receive:

  • edit access
  • share access
  • admin roles
  • API access
  • internal files and messages
  • OAuth tokens

This creates significant exposure.

How to Find Risky External Users in SaaS (Step-by-Step)

1. Review guest users in your collaboration platforms

Check for external identities in:

  • Google Workspace Drive sharing
  • Microsoft 365 External Identities (Entra ID)
  • Slack guest users
  • Notion guests
  • Confluence external users
  • Figma collaborators
  • Asana/Jira/Figma/Miro guest accounts

Look for:

  • broad access
  • no recent activity
  • shared folders instead of single files
  • external emails with admin-like permissions

FrontierZero aggregates external users across all SaaS tools.

2. Review OAuth-connected users from external domains

Some external apps authenticate using OAuth from:

  • gmail.com
  • outlook.com
  • partner domains
  • vendor domains

These accounts may have:

  • file-system access
  • email access
  • project access
  • persistent tokens

This is especially common during vendor onboarding.

3. Audit external users with ongoing access to sensitive data

Check if external users still have access to:

  • shared drives
  • shared inboxes
  • projects or boards
  • repositories
  • documentation
  • operational systems

FrontierZero highlights which external accounts touch critical data.

4. Identify external users with no recent activity

Inactive external users are high-risk because:

  • no one monitors them
  • their accounts may be compromised
  • they often belong to third-party environments you cannot control

Removing stale accounts reduces your exposure significantly.

What makes an external user “high risk”?

High-risk signs include:

  • broad read/write access
  • admin-like roles
  • OAuth tokens
  • last active > 90 days
  • no project justification
  • no owner inside your company
  • credentials leaked on the dark web

FrontierZero applies these criteria automatically.

Why are external users often missed during audits?

Because they live:

  • outside HR
  • outside internal IAM
  • outside offboarding workflows
  • outside the employee directory

They are linked only at the SaaS level.

Do contractors keep access after projects end?

Yes. Unless someone manually removes them, their accounts stay active indefinitely. FrontierZero flags external identities tied to past projects or inactive work.

FAQ

Do SaaS apps remove external users automatically?

Rarely. Most require manual removal.

Can external users bypass MFA?

Yes. Many use their own identity provider or personal accounts.

Should external accounts have the same permissions as employees?

No. Least-privilege access is essential.