Hey everyone, I've been working in a Security Operations Center (SOC) for a while now, and I recently started looking into the Google Workspace and Slack integrations used by our company. Honestly, it feels like a chaotic mess. We have a ton of "Zombie Apps" that were authorized by former employees or interns years ago. Some of these obscure Chrome extensions or productivity bots have extensive permissions, like `drive.readonly` and `channels:history`. If any of these small development teams get hacked, they could potentially access our sensitive data without us even knowing. I'm struggling with a few challenges:
1. Figuring out who approved which apps without having to sift through endless menus.
2. Understanding which types of permissions are really "dangerous" versus those that are merely standard.
3. Revoking access to these apps without disrupting existing workflows that I might not be aware of.
So I'm reaching out to the more experienced folks here: How are you handling this issue? Are you relying solely on the built-in Admin consoles, which can feel quite cumbersome, or have you developed your own custom scripts for better management? I'm also thinking about creating a small tool that generates a "Risk Report" for every connected OAuth app, highlighting the high-risk ones and simplifying the revocation process. Is this something you've already solved, or would you find this kind of tool helpful? Am I overreacting to the risks involved?
2 Answers
You’re definitely not alone in this! It’s been a significant pain point for Google Workspace for ages. They've improved granular access permissions, but it often still feels like you’re giving apps carte blanche access. I completely agree with the approach of restricting permissions for anything that looks suspicious. It's frustrating that Google aims for seamless integration, often at the expense of security.
I’d suggest starting with a thorough audit. Limit app access to the trusted ones and set your Google services to 'restricted' mode, requiring approval for new apps. This way, when someone inevitably reports an issue, you can evaluate it more carefully before trusting it. It seems like a lot of manual work, but that’s the best way to minimize risk and ensure security without letting any app run wild.
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