Data Exfiltration Control: Why SAP data will need new protection in 2026

SAP systems are among the most critical platforms in companies. They process highly sensitive data, control key business processes, and form the foundation of many operational workflows. Within the system, this data is well protected, as SAP offers robust authorization models, clearly defined roles, audit mechanisms, and a sophisticated security architecture.

However, one crucial point is underestimated in many security strategies:

Once data leaves SAP, it loses its integrated protection.

Exported files are, from this point on, independent of SAP permissions and policies. They move freely between email inboxes, local folders, cloud storage, and collaboration platforms. This creates a security vulnerability that often goes unnoticed but is increasingly becoming the target of modern attacks.

Why exported SAP data poses an increasing risk

Companies export information from SAP daily, whether for analysis, reconciliation, reporting, planning, or external collaboration. This data often includes sensitive information such as financial data, HR data, or material and supply chain information. It is precisely at these moments that risks arise that are not technical, but rather structural in nature.

Once a file leaves SAP:

• The authorization check ends

• Guidelines and access controls are eliminated.

• There is no encryption.

• There is no traceability regarding data transfer and storage.

  
  

This vulnerability is particularly relevant because modern attacks target business models that rely on data. Data extortion – that is, blackmail using exfiltrated information – is one of the most common methods used by criminal groups today.

SAP data is particularly valuable in this regard: structured, up-to-date, and economically relevant.

Data Exfiltration Control: A new approach to SAP data security

To effectively close this gap, it is not enough to further harden SAP or protect additional system boundaries. Modern security strategies must ensure that protective mechanisms target the data itself directly . This is precisely where the concept of Data Exfiltration Control comes in.

Data Exfiltration Control means:

SAP data is automatically recognized, classified and protected at the moment of export - regardless of where it subsequently goes.

This approach combines two key technologies that together form a seamless chain of protection.

Microsoft Purview Information Protection (MPIP)

MPIP is a platform that provides protection logic directly at the file level. Companies can classify information based on rules or AI-powered detection mechanisms and assign sensitivity labels.

These labels define:

• who is allowed to open a file

• whether it can be passed on

• whether it will be automatically encrypted

• how it is recorded in audits

• which access guidelines apply

The decisive advantage:

The protection remains bound to the file - even outside of SAP, regardless of storage location or device.

SecurityHub: the SAP native integration

SecurityHub complements MPIP where SAP currently has limitations. The solution is directly integrated into SAP and recognizes every export in real time. Files are automatically classified, labeled, and encrypted as they leave the system – without any manual intervention.

This makes it possible:

• Automatic assignment of MPIP sensitivity labels

• Encryption at the moment of export

• Monitoring of all export activities

• Enforcement of data policies outside of SAP

• Seamless governance of file movements

SAP, MPIP and SecurityHub working together

The interplay of both technologies makes the following possible:

• Consistent implementation of Zero Trust

• Data-centric security without media breaks

• Full transparency over all data exports

• Protection against exfiltration and unwanted transmission

• Support for compliance and audit requirements

• Reducing manual errors and process risks

This creates a continuous pedestrian crossing:

SAP → SecurityHub → MPIP → Persistent protection, regardless of storage location

Why this approach will become indispensable in 2026

Several developments are increasing the pressure to act:

• Attacks are increasingly targeting data leakage rather than system encryption.

• Companies are operating in hybrid landscapes consisting of SAP, cloud services, and collaboration platforms.

• Compliance requirements demand traceability across all data flows.

• Zero Trust is becoming the standard - and must also apply to data in/out of SAP.

Companies that fail to secure exported SAP data are only protecting part of their attack surface.

Data Exfiltration Control creates the necessary link between technical protection mechanisms and the actual data flows.

Conclusion

SAP reliably protects data within the system. However, attackers target the point where this protection ends: exported files. The combination of Microsoft Purview Information Protection and SecurityHub creates a data-centric approach that controls, protects, and makes SAP data traceable even outside the system.

Data Exfiltration Control thus becomes a strategic component of modern corporate security - and a prerequisite for true digital resilience.

Learn more about Data Exfiltration Control and SecurityHub:

Zero-Trust against Data Exfiltration | Automation & Compliance with automatics.AI