Modern businesses depend on third-party apps for everything--customer service, analytics, cloud storage, security. But every integration introduces a potential vulnerability. 35.5% of all recorded breaches in 2024 were linked to third-party vulnerabilities.

The good news? These risks can be managed. Here's how to evaluate any external app before adding it to your system--and what you should be able to see once it's connected.

Why Third-Party Apps Are Worth the Risk

Most businesses don't build every technology component from scratch. Third-party apps and APIs handle payments, customer support, analytics, email automation, chatbots, and more. They speed up operations, cut costs, and give you access to features that would take months to build internally.

The question isn't whether to use integrations--it's how to use them safely.

What Are the Hidden Risks?

Security Risks

Third-party integrations can introduce vulnerabilities you never expected. A seemingly harmless plugin may contain malware or malicious code. A poorly secured API might expose your customer data.

Privacy and Compliance Risks

When you connect a third-party app, you're often giving it access to sensitive data. If that vendor doesn't meet your compliance requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2), you're still on the hook.

Operational Risks

What happens if that critical integration goes down? Or the vendor goes out of business? Dependencies on third parties can create single points of failure.

What You Should Be Able to See

In your admin dashboard, you should have answers to:

Which third-party apps have access to your systems?
What permissions does each app have?
When was each integration last reviewed?
Which apps have access to sensitive data?

If you can't generate this list in under 5 minutes, you have a visibility problem.

The Vetting Checklist

Before adding any new integration, run through this checklist:

1. Security Certifications

Does the vendor have SOC 2 Type II certification?
Do they conduct regular penetration testing?
Can they provide their most recent security audit?
Do they have a bug bounty or responsible disclosure program?

2. Data Handling

What data will the app access?
Where is that data stored? (Country matters for compliance)
Is data encrypted in transit and at rest?
What's their data retention policy?
Can you export or delete your data if you leave?

3. Access Controls

Does the app request only the permissions it actually needs?
Can you limit access to specific users or data sets?
Does it support SSO and MFA?
Can you revoke access instantly if needed?

4. Vendor Stability

How long has the company been in business?
What's their uptime history?
Do they have a status page you can monitor?
What happens to your data if they shut down?

5. Incident Response

Do they have a documented incident response plan?
How quickly will they notify you of a breach?
What's their SLA for security issues?

Ongoing Monitoring

Vetting isn't a one-time event. Once an integration is live, you need ongoing visibility:

Quarterly access reviews -- Are the permissions still appropriate?
Activity monitoring -- What is the integration actually doing?
Vendor updates -- Has their security posture changed?
Sunset planning -- When should you re-evaluate or remove the integration?

Questions to Ask Your Current Provider

"Can I see a list of all third-party apps connected to our systems?"
"What permissions does each one have?"
"When was our last integration audit?"

If they can't show you this information, you're flying blind.

The Bottom Line

Third-party integrations are essential for modern business operations. But every connection is a potential entry point for attackers.

The solution isn't to avoid integrations--it's to vet them properly and maintain visibility over what they're doing. You should be able to see exactly which apps have access to your data, what permissions they have, and whether they're behaving as expected.

If you can't see it, you can't secure it.