Third-party applications and integrations power your business and your customer and employee experiences. But they can also be a source for security risks during peak seasons like the holidays or healthcare open enrollment periods. When teams are moving quickly, attackers can take advantage of rushed approvals, temporary staffing and quick-turn integrations.  

This is an ideal time to slow down to be sure you can strengthen your security posture. 

Securing Third-Party Apps  

Third-party tools can expand your capabilities and they can also widen your attack surface. Seasonal risks include: 

  • Overly broad OAuth permissions 
  • Shadow IT integrations added while under pressure and without full visibility  
  • Old or dormant connections that are left active 
  • Malicious or compromised apps disguised as productivity tools 
  • Misconfigured APIs or webhooks 
  • Environments that are too busy to catch anomalies 
  • Insufficient management for private or sensitive information that could be exposed through misconfigurations 

Small missteps can quickly become major vulnerabilities.

Key Guidelines for Hardening Your CX Environment 

There are several measures you can implement to help ensure your customer experience environment remains secure against both current and emerging threats. 

Spend one hour each quarter strengthening your platform’s security to reduce unnecessary access, block untrusted connections, prevent authentication gaps, catch issues early and prepare teams for emerging threats. Consistent oversight is your best defense against evolving risks. 

1. Enforce Least Privilege 

Review permissions and scopes for each third-party application and integration. Ask:  

  • Does it really need this access?  
  • Is read-only enough?  
  • Can access be time-limited? 

Remove apps and tokens that are no longer required. 

2. Use Trusted Vendors Only 

Stick to reputable providers and applications found in the Genesys AppFoundry® Marketplace.
Before enabling any app: 

  • Check the vendor’s security posture 
  • Review privacy and data-handling policies 
  • Confirm regular patching and support 

3. Strengthen Authentication 

Never store passwords, access tokens and other sensitive credentials in publicly available resources and require multi-factor authentication to access them. Leaked secrets expose your environment to significant risk, as they can be easily discovered, copied and exploited. Instead, use secure secrets-management practices and automated scanning to prevent accidental exposure and protect your systems. 

Further secure integrations with: 

  • Single sign-on (SSO) 
  • IP allow-listing when feasible 
  • Short-lived OAuth tokens 

If you don’t control authentication, you don’t control risk. 

4. Monitor for Anomalies 

There are several types of common monitoring and alert activities you should consider exploring within your organization, including: 

  • New app installations 
  • Abnormal API activity, i.e., sudden spikes in API requests, access from unusual locations, requests for data not normally used, unusual patterns etc. 
  • Admin logins 
  • Data exports and failed integration calls 
  • Use the Genesys CloudTM platform monitoring and audit logging functionality  
  • Consider using EventBridge to integrate with a SIEM to deliver real-time, structured events that improve threat detection and give security teams a unified view of activity. Click here for details. 

5. Follow Routine Housekeeping Practices 

Here are a few examples of steps you can take as you focus on routine security hygiene. Keep in mind: This is not an exhaustive checklist and should be adapted to fit the needs and scale of your environment. 

Weekly: Check new apps, admin activity and integration errors.

Monthly: Audit permissions, revoke stale tokens, clean up unused actions/webhooks.

Quarterly: Review vendors and validate that configurations still follow best practices. Complete user access reviews to remove dormant accounts and those of employees who have left your organization. 

6. Prepare Your Teams for Peak-Related Issues 

Because peak seasons amplify both the volume of customer interactions and the risk surface across your CX ecosystem, you need to stay ahead of potential breaches or service disruptions. Be sure your teams stay vigilant for signs of misconfigurations, risky integrations or unusual third-party activity. 

Seasonal threats often include: 

  • Holiday-themed phishing 
  • Fake “urgent” integration requests 
  • Impersonated vendor support 
  • Fraud targeting contact center systems 

Ensure staff, especially seasonal workers, understand approval processes and how to escalate suspicious activity. The following red flags and high-risk scenarios highlight where scrutiny is most critical right now. 

Red Flags: 
  • Apps requesting broad scopes 
  • Unexpected API traffic 
  • Unfamiliar integration errors 
  • Marketplace apps with no recent updates 
  • “Quick fixes” installed without IT review
High-Risk Scenarios: 
  • Rapid vendor onboarding 
  • Egress integrations that contain sensitive data 
  • Excessive permissions for support teams 
  • Unsecured webhooks or APIs 

Beyond the Basics for Security and Resiliency 

Peak seasons bring urgency and attackers know it. With strong permission controls, vendor validation, authentication safeguards, and routine monitoring and maintenance, you can keep your Genesys environment secure year round.  

For a deeper look at best practices and recommended configurations, review our customer guide “Hardening the Genesys Cloud Environment.” This guide offers you an in-depth look at building a more resilience security posture so you can stay secure and vigilant — and have a successful season.