How to Securely Revoke Access to SaaS Apps Using Make.com and OAuth Connections

In the modern enterprise, managing access to numerous SaaS applications is a critical component of security and compliance, especially during employee offboarding. Lingering access for former employees presents significant security risks, from data breaches to compliance violations. Manually revoking these permissions across dozens of platforms is not only time-consuming but also highly prone to error. This guide provides a strategic, step-by-step approach to automate the secure revocation of SaaS app access, leveraging the power of Make.com and the robust security of OAuth connections, ensuring a streamlined and foolproof offboarding process.

Step 1: Understand the Criticality of Timely Access Revocation

Effective offboarding begins with a firm understanding of the security and compliance imperatives driving access revocation. Beyond basic user account deactivation, it’s crucial to identify all connected applications where a user might have direct or indirect access via integrated services. OAuth connections, while convenient for single sign-on, can leave persistent tokens even after an account is disabled in the primary system. Failing to revoke these tokens explicitly can leave a backdoor open, making your organization vulnerable. This initial step involves mapping out all SaaS applications, understanding their integration points, and recognizing the potential for orphaned access, laying the groundwork for a comprehensive revocation strategy.

Step 2: Inventory SaaS Applications and Identify OAuth Integrations

Before you can revoke access, you must know what access exists. Conduct a thorough audit of all SaaS applications your organization utilizes. For each application, determine if it supports OAuth for authentication and authorization, and if so, how user sessions and tokens are managed. Identify which applications are connected via Make.com or similar automation platforms, as these are prime candidates for automated revocation. This inventory should detail the type of connection, the scope of access granted, and the API endpoints available for revoking specific user tokens or connections. Documenting this landscape is essential for designing an effective and secure automated workflow.

Step 3: Configure Your Make.com Offboarding Scenario Foundation

With your inventory in hand, begin building the offboarding scenario in Make.com. The starting point will typically be a trigger from your HRIS or a manual input indicating an employee’s termination. This trigger should initiate a multi-step workflow. Design the initial modules to pull relevant employee data, such as their email address, user ID across various systems, and a list of SaaS applications they had access to. This data will be critical for targeting the correct user and connections for revocation in subsequent steps. Ensure your Make.com connections to other systems are robust and configured with appropriate permissions.

Step 4: Implement OAuth Token Revocation via API Calls in Make.com

This is the core technical step. For each SaaS application that uses OAuth and provides an API for token revocation, configure an HTTP module in Make.com. Most modern OAuth 2.0 implementations offer a `/revoke` endpoint where you can send a POST request with the access or refresh token to invalidate it. Your Make.com scenario should dynamically retrieve the user’s tokens (if stored or accessible) or initiate the revocation process using the application’s specific API requirements, often requiring the client ID and secret. Ensure that your Make.com connections to these SaaS apps are configured with API keys or OAuth credentials that have the necessary permissions to revoke user access.

Step 5: Test and Validate the Revocation Process Rigorously

Thorough testing is paramount for any security-critical automation. Create test scenarios for different types of employees and varying levels of access. Simulate an offboarding event and meticulously verify that all specified SaaS application access points have been successfully revoked. This includes checking individual application dashboards, attempting to log in with the “revoked” credentials, and confirming that any OAuth tokens are indeed invalidated. Document your testing procedures and outcomes to ensure repeatability and compliance. Any failures in revocation must be immediately investigated and rectified before deploying the workflow to production.

Step 6: Integrate with HRIS for Automated Triggering

To achieve true automation, integrate your Make.com revocation workflow with your Human Resources Information System (HRIS) or employee lifecycle management platform. Configure a webhook or scheduled task in Make.com to listen for specific events in your HRIS, such as a change in employment status to “terminated” or a “last day of employment” flag. This integration ensures that the revocation process kicks off automatically and consistently at the appropriate time, eliminating manual intervention and significantly reducing the window of vulnerability. Map the HRIS data fields directly to the inputs required by your Make.com scenario for seamless execution.

Step 7: Establish Monitoring, Auditing, and Continuous Improvement

Implementing an automated revocation process isn’t a one-time task; it requires ongoing monitoring and auditing. Set up logging within Make.com to track the success or failure of each revocation attempt. Integrate these logs with your security information and event management (SIEM) system or a dedicated notification channel (e.g., Slack, email) to alert administrators of any issues. Regularly review your inventory of SaaS applications and OAuth connections, as new tools are adopted and existing ones evolve. Periodically audit the system to ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations, making continuous improvements to your workflow as needed.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building an Automated Offboarding Workflow in Make.com