How SAP Systems Are Becoming Prime Targets for Cybercriminals
In 2024, the global spirits company Stoli Group suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted critical business systems, including its ERP environment. The attack disabled financial and operational processes, forcing the company to operate manually and contributing to severe business disruption. Security researchers later highlighted how attacks on ERP platforms can quickly escalate into enterprise-wide operational crises.
At the same time, threat intelligence from Onapsis reveals an alarming trend in attacks targeting SAP systems:
- 400% increase in ransomware incidents involving compromised SAP systems and data
- 490% increase in criminal discussions around SAP vulnerabilities and exploits
- 220% increase in discovery of internet-exposed SAP cloud services
- 400% increase in the price of SAP remote-code-execution exploits in underground markets
Reference: https://onapsis.com/blog/sap-security-breach-cited-in-companys-bankruptcy/
These trends show that SAP systems are no longer niche targets - they are now high-value assets for cybercriminals because they contain financial data, supply chain information, and other critical business information.
Yet many organizations focus on external cybersecurity tools while overlooking powerful security capabilities already built into their SAP landscape.
In this article, we explore three powerful SAP-native solutions that organizations can activate without additional licensing investments to significantly strengthen their cybersecurity posture.
Introduction
Organizations running enterprise platforms like SAP S/4HANA, SAP ECC, and SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) must ensure that their systems are protected not only from external cyber threats but also from internal misuse, insecure integrations, and unauthorized data access.
However, many organizations assume that improving SAP cybersecurity requires investing in new security tools or complex third-party platforms.
In reality, SAP already provides several powerful native security capabilities that are included within standard SAP systems and can be implemented without additional licensing investments.
From years of working with SAP security implementations and assessments, one common observation stands out: many of these built-in security capabilities remain underutilized or completely inactive in production systems.
For organizations beginning their SAP cybersecurity transformation, activating these native capabilities can significantly improve security posture.
Why SAP Cybersecurity Must Start with Native Security Controls
Before organizations invest in advanced security platforms, it is important to understand that SAP cybersecurity often starts with strengthening the native security capabilities already available within the system landscape.
SAP systems such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP ECC, and SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) already include built-in security mechanisms designed to control integrations, monitor system configurations, and track access to sensitive data. When properly implemented, these capabilities help organizations reduce attack surfaces, detect suspicious activity earlier, and strengthen their overall SAP security posture.
For many enterprises, activating these native controls becomes the first practical step toward building a mature SAP cybersecurity strategy.
Common SAP Security Gaps Found During Assessments
During SAP security assessments, several recurring security gaps are commonly identified across enterprise landscapes.
- Unrestricted RFC-enabled function modules
- Outdated security notes and missing patches
- Excessive user authorizations
- Lack of monitoring for sensitive data access
This article highlights three powerful native SAP solutions that security teams can implement immediately:
- Unified Connectivity (UCON) for RFC security
- Security Optimization Service (SOS) in SAP Solution Manager
- Read Access Logging (RAL) for sensitive data monitoring
1. Unified Connectivity (UCON): Securing RFC Interfaces in SAP Systems
One of the most overlooked attack surfaces in SAP systems is RFC (Remote Function Call) connectivity.
RFC connections enable external systems, middleware, and integrations to interact with SAP applications. Over time, organizations accumulate thousands of RFC-enabled function modules, many of which are never actively used.
This creates a significant security risk because attackers or compromised integrations may exploit unused RFC interfaces.
Unified Connectivity (UCON) is a native SAP capability designed to monitor, control, and secure RFC-enabled function modules.
Key Security Capabilities
| Key Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| RFC Usage Monitoring | UCON records and analyzes RFC calls, helping administrators identify which function modules are actually being used. |
| RFC Whitelisting | Organizations can allow only approved RFC-enabled modules while blocking unused or risky ones. |
| Integration Security Hardening | Prevents unauthorized systems from executing sensitive function modules remotely. |
| Reduced Attack Surface | Unused RFC interfaces can be deactivated, significantly reducing potential entry points. |
Security Insight
In many SAP security assessments, organizations discover hundreds or even thousands of unused RFC-enabled function modules. UCON helps transition organizations toward a controlled integration model where only approved interfaces remain active.
Technical Insight
In large SAP landscapes, it is common to find thousands of RFC-enabled function modules exposed through integrations. Without proper monitoring, these interfaces can become an attack vector for executing sensitive business functions remotely.
2. Security Optimization Service (SOS): Continuous SAP Security Monitoring
SAP systems often run for years with insecure configurations, outdated security parameters, or missing patches simply because organizations lack continuous monitoring.
SAP Solution Manager includes a built-in capability called Security Optimization Service (SOS) that helps organizations analyze and strengthen the security configuration of their SAP landscape.
SOS is typically executed as part of SAP Solution Manager diagnostics and security assessments.
Many organizations only run security checks during audits or compliance reviews. However, vulnerabilities often emerge between audit cycles, which is why continuous configuration monitoring through SOS becomes critical.
Key Security Capabilities
| Key Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Automated Security Configuration Checks | Identifies insecure parameters and misconfigurations in SAP systems. |
| Security Note Compliance Monitoring | Detects missing or outdated security patches recommended by SAP. |
| Critical Authorization Analysis | Highlights risky users and profiles such as excessive authorizations. |
| Structured Security Reports | Provides actionable insights that help security teams remediate vulnerabilities. |
Security Insight
Many organizations only review SAP security configurations during audits. SOS allows security teams to continuously monitor security posture and proactively identify vulnerabilities before they become incidents.
3. Read Access Logging (RAL): Monitoring Sensitive Data Access
Traditional SAP logging focuses primarily on changes made to data. However, in many security incidents, the biggest risk comes from unauthorized viewing of sensitive information rather than modification.
This is where Read Access Logging (RAL) becomes critical.
Read Access Logging allows organizations to track when users access sensitive tables, fields, and business data.
Key Security Capabilities
| Key Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Sensitive Data Monitoring | Track access to confidential information such as payroll, banking details, or financial records. |
| Granular Logging Policies | Administrators can define which tables, fields, or programs should trigger logging. |
| Audit and Compliance Support | Provides detailed audit logs required for regulatory compliance. |
| Suspicious Access Detection | Helps identify unusual patterns of data access across users or applications. |
Security Insight
For organizations subject to regulations such as data privacy laws or financial compliance frameworks, monitoring who accesses sensitive data is just as important as tracking data changes.
RAL provides that visibility directly within the SAP system.
Why These Native SAP Security Capabilities Matter
Many organizations immediately look for third-party security tools when strengthening SAP cybersecurity. However, activating built-in SAP capabilities often delivers significant security improvements with minimal effort and zero additional licensing cost.
These three capabilities address some of the most common SAP security gaps observed in enterprise landscapes.
| Security Area | Native SAP Capability |
|---|---|
| Integration and RFC Security | Unified Connectivity (UCON) |
| Security Configuration Monitoring | Security Optimization Service (SOS) |
| Sensitive Data Protection | Read Access Logging (RAL) |
When implemented together, they provide a strong foundational security layer across SAP landscapes.
Practical Roadmap to Start Your SAP Cybersecurity Transformation
Organizations looking to implement these capabilities can follow a simple approach:
Step 1: Assess Current Security Posture
Use SOS in SAP Solution Manager to identify existing vulnerabilities and configuration gaps.
Step 2: Secure System Integrations
Activate UCON monitoring to analyze RFC usage and gradually move toward RFC whitelisting.
Step 3: Protect Sensitive Business Data
Configure Read Access Logging for high-risk tables containing confidential information.
Step 4: Establish Continuous Monitoring
Integrate logs and monitoring outputs into your security operations processes.
Final Thoughts
SAP cybersecurity transformation does not always begin with purchasing new tools or platforms. In many cases, the most effective improvements come from activating and optimizing native SAP security capabilities that already exist within the system landscape.
Solutions like UCON, Security Optimization Service (SOS), and Read Access Logging provide powerful capabilities for improving integration security, system configuration monitoring, and sensitive data protection.
For SAP security teams, these tools represent a practical and cost-effective starting point toward building a mature cybersecurity strategy.
For SAP security teams, these tools represent a practical and cost-effective starting point for building a mature and resilient SAP cybersecurity strategy.
