16 June 2025

The hidden danger: how security vulnerabilities arise in SAP systems

When it comes to SAP security, many people first think of authorization concepts and firewalls. But the real danger often lies deeper: hidden vulnerabilities that go unnoticed until it’s too late. Whether due to external attacks or internal errors, the risks are real and business-critical. This is exactly where modern SAP monitoring, like Scansor, comes in. It detects security gaps early, before they lead to critical incidents. In an increasingly hybrid SAP landscape with S/4HANA, cloud solutions, and complex authorization concepts, it is essential to continuously monitor potential entry points.

Typical Entry Points: How Attackers Penetrate SAP Systems

Attacks often occur on two levels: technical infrastructure and application layer. Common vulnerabilities include insufficiently protected RFC connections, misconfigured authorizations, outdated encryption protocols, or open debugging access. Particularly risky are expired certificates and incorrectly assigned roles.

What Should Be Monitored

Effective SAP monitoring must specifically track security-relevant parameters and certificates, including:

Security parameters in SAP and database environments
Critical authorizations (e.g., SAP_ALL, debugging access)
Certificate validity periods and encryption protocols
Suspicious activities such as role changes or locked users

Monitoring as an active security tool

Scansor provides comprehensive monitoring of security-relevant areas in SAP systems to detect risks early and minimize them effectively. This includes controlling secure system connections and encryption options, identifying users with highly sensitive authorizations, monitoring the validity and security of certificates, analyzing security-critical system messages, checking for outdated or insecure system components, ensuring compliance with recommended SAP security parameters, and continuously monitoring user administration. This ensures that vulnerabilities and potential attack surfaces are detected quickly, compliance requirements are met, and the integrity of the entire SAP landscape is maintained.

Modern monitoring platforms like Scansor capture these parameters in real-time and automatically trigger alerts when deviations occur. This way, security gaps can be identified and proactively closed before any damage occurs.

BSI Recommendations & SAP Security Notes in Focus

The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) provides clear guidelines in its IT baseline protection framework for the secure operation of SAP systems. Scansor supports companies in complying with these standards and automatically taking relevant Security Notes into account.

Whitepaper Tip: Learn in detail how automated SAP monitoring improves the security of your system landscape.

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