How cloud sync and other SaaS dark patterns can put your organization at risk

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) makes life easier in many ways—quick setup, no servers to maintain, easy updates. But if you’ve ever felt tricked by a SaaS provider, you’re not imagining it. Many SaaS companies employ dark patterns—sneaky tactics in pricing, feature design, or user experience—that benefit the vendor at your expense. In fact, an industry sweep found that almost 76% of SaaS companies use at least one dark pattern in their interface.

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These tricks can drain budgets, trap you in unwanted plans, and even put your organization’s security at risk. Let’s have a closer look at some common SaaS dark patterns and see how a feature as simple as cloud sync can become a serious risk.

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Common SaaS dark patterns

• Sneaky pricing surprises: Ever sign up for a service at a great rate, only to face a huge price jump later? Some SaaS vendors lure customers with low introductory prices and limited-time discounts, then skyrocket the cost upon renewal. That first year deal can turn into a budget-buster once you’re hooked.
• Forced feature bundling: SaaS packages often bundle features so you have to pay for more than you need. For example, a critical feature might only be available in the highest tier plan, forcing you into a costly bundle of “extras” just to get that one feature. It’s a tactic to squeeze more revenue by making essential features part of expensive packages.
• Difficult account cancellations: Ever tried to cancel a subscription and felt like you were navigating an obstacle course? Many services hide the cancel button, require you to call support, or throw up repetitive “Are you sure?” steps. This is friction is by design—they’re hoping you’ll give up and keep paying. Regulators are noticing: the FTC even introduced a new “Click to Cancel” rule to make ending subscriptions as easy as signing up, targeting those dark patterns that complicate cancellations.
• Vendor lock-in: Some providers make it painfully hard to leave. They might store your data in proprietary formats or charge hefty fees to export it. In extreme cases, vendors only give you your data in an unusable form or threaten to delete it if you don’t renew. It’s an intentional strategy to raise switching costs and hold your data hostage—basically locking you into their service.

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All of these tactics can lead to surprise bills, frustration, and generally feeling “stuck” with a service. But beyond the financial and contractual shenanigans, a new class of SaaS dark patterns is emerging—ones that can truly imperil security programs.

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Cloud sync features: convenience or security risk?

Modern software loves to tout cloud sync: “Access your data anywhere, on any device!” It sounds convenient, but what if syncing sensitive data to the cloud creates a new weak link? Unfortunately, design and UX choices that push cloud sync (often without clear consent or opt-out) can become dangerous dark patterns on the security front. Two recent examples show how this can put organizations at risk:

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MFA codes in the cloud (Retool breach)

In August 2023, the developer platform Retool fell victim to a breach that started with a targeted phishing attack. The twist? The attackers gained access to an engineer’s Google account, and with it, all of the person’s 2FA codes. How? Google Authenticator had quietly enabled cloud synchronization of MFA one-time passcodes.

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Retool’s report noted that Google’s new Authenticator sync feature meant if your Google account is compromised, so are your MFA codes. Worse, Google uses subtle dark patterns to press users to enable this cloud backup by default, without a straightforward way to disable it. In Retool’s case, the employee had unknowingly allowed their 2FA codes to be saved in the cloud, turning a supposed “multi-factor” setup into a single point of failure. Once the Google account was breached, the attacker had everything they needed to generate MFA codes and access internal systems. This incident was a wake-up call: the convenience of a cloud-synced authenticator had backfired spectacularly on security.

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(To turn off cloud sync in Google Authenticator, follow these directions.)

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Postman’s cloud-only pivot

Postman, a hugely popular API testing tool, made a big shift in 2024, moving many features to a cloud-only model. Now, when you log into Postman, it automatically syncs all your data (requests, environment variables, including credentials) to their cloud. For users, especially in enterprises, this raised red flags. Why? Because sensitive API keys and tokens that used to stay on a developer’s machine are suddenly copied to a third-party server.

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This change introduces major security risks: a single compromised Postman login could expose a trove of production secrets, undermining any separation between test accounts and real accounts. Phishing or credential-stuffing attacks against Postman accounts now have a much bigger payoff—they’re not just getting some dummy test data, they might get live credentials to your company’s systems. By forcing cloud sync without giving teams a true offline mode, Postman created a new vulnerability for organizations that rely on it.

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In both of the cases above, what was framed as a helpful feature (cloud sync) became a security dark pattern—a design that inadvertently (or perhaps negligently) lowers defenses. When cloud sync is the default or sole option, users may not realize the risk they’re taking: that a single account breach (Google, Postman, etc.) can cascade into a wider compromise.

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Protecting your organization

How can you guard against these hidden pitfalls? Here are a few strategies to stay safe and in control:

• Choose services wisely: Avoid platforms that force cloud synchronization of sensitive data by default. If a tool doesn’t let you work offline or store data locally when it makes sense, think twice. Convenience is great, but not at the cost of security or autonomy.
• Examine cloud sync settings carefully, especially for apps that store passwords, MFA codes, API tokens, or other information related to authentication.
• Use hardware-based MFA solutions: As the Retool case taught, software-based one-time codes can be a weak link if they sync to the cloud. Whenever possible, use hardware security keys (FIDO2/U2F devices) or other phishing-resistant authenticators for multi-factor auth. These physical keys can’t be duped or remotely siphoned—there are no 6-digit codes to steal or trick someone into giving up. It’s a simple step that ensures MFA really stays multi-factor, even if an account is compromised.

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Dark patterns in SaaS aren’t just about tricking you into paying more—they can quietly erode your security posture. Avoid the traps by staying alert to sneaky pricing and lock-in schemes, and being especially cautious of “features” that send your data into the cloud. Always ask yourself: Is this convenient feature worth the potential risk? With the right choices—and a healthy dose of skepticism—you can enjoy the benefits of SaaS without falling victim to its hidden dangers.

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How Nudge Security can help

Our platform helps organizations solve the identity security, IT governance, and third party risk challenges that arise from SaaS sprawl with features like:

• Immediate SaaS inventory: Before you can ensure you avoid the pitfalls of SaaS dark patterns, you need to actually know what’s in use in your org. Learn more about our patented SaaS discovery.
• Vendor security profiles: SaaS platforms inherently introduce third party risks. Nudge Security provides security profiles for over 10,000 SaaS providers to help you speed up vendor risk assessments.
• Cost management: Our platform can discover up to two years of historical SaaS spend on Day One along with tools to help you identify sources of unnecessary SaaS spend like unused accounts and redundant apps. Learn more.