9 best Salesforce security best practices for 2024
Pick any popular technology you want – AI, Salesforce CRM, Blockchain, anything. You'll find one common underlying concern with each of them – security. Particularly for Salesforce, a CRM tool that commands nearly 20% of the market share, security is often a big concern.
User access management is crucial: Establish clear role hierarchies and permission sets to control who can view, edit, or delete specific records and functionalities, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security, significantly lowering the chances of unauthorized system access even if credentials are compromised.
Data protection should include using Salesforce's Security Health Check to proactively identify and address potential vulnerabilities, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
Hutte Expert Panel
Sushrut Kumar Mishra
Salesforce Developer, Technical Writer, and Entrepreneur
Sushrut is a skilled Salesforce Developer, Technical Writer, and Entrepreneur. His expertise includes front-end dev, Web3, and DevRel. He leverages technology to craft exceptional digital experiences.
Manuel Moya Ferrer is a highly skilled freelancer who serves as a technical architect, developer, and DevOps engineer. He specializes in Salesforce solutions, covering all technical aspects of their development lifecycle.
Organizations worldwide face a risk of average SaaS data breaches exceeding $28 million. Most cloud and SaaS platforms (including Salesforce) use a shared usage model, making it prone to security issues. That is if you do not follow governance rules and security best practices.
While I was working as a Salesforce Developer, I made certain mistakes that exposed the security of our application. In this article, I will talk about nine Salesforce security best practices that will help you avoid the mistakes I made.
Understanding the fundamentals of Salesforce security
The level of security within Salesforce depends on three key elements:
These components form the foundation of a secure Salesforce environment, ensuring that only authorized users access sensitive data, that data remains protected, and that third-party integrations don't compromise security.
User access management
Managing who can access what within Salesforce is the first step toward security. This pillar is all about role hierarchies, profiles, and permission sets that dictate access levels. These fundamentals prevent unauthorized entry and safeguard valuable data.
Data protection
The protection of sensitive information stored in Salesforce is paramount. This includes customer data, intellectual property, financial and business records, etc. This pillar includes encryption, tokenization, and vigilant monitoring that work together to shield data from unauthorized access and potential breaches.
Third-party app security
While third-party apps enhance Salesforce functionality, they also introduce potential vulnerabilities. Thorough vetting, limiting permissions, and ongoing monitoring are essential to mitigate risks associated with these integrations.
Now, I'm dividing the nine best salesforce security practices among these three pillars. Let's start.
#1. User access management best practices
Establish role hierarchies and profiles
Creating clear role hierarchies and profiles allows you to define access levels within your organization. By assigning roles and profiles based on job responsibilities, you can control who can view, edit, or delete specific records and functionalities.
Start by clearly defining the roles and hierarchies of your org users, and ensure that each user has access only to the data they need.
Set up appropriate permission sets
Permission sets offer a flexible way to grant additional permissions to users without modifying their profiles. By creating custom permission sets tailored to specific tasks or responsibilities, you can grant users access to additional functionalities as needed without compromising security.
This granular control allows you to strike the right balance between providing necessary access and maintaining data integrity.
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security to your Salesforce environment by requiring users to provide multiple verification forms before accessing the platform.
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Enabling MFA, such as SMS codes, authenticator apps, or biometric authentication, can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access, even if login credentials are compromised. This simple yet effective measure enhances security without adding unnecessary complexity for users.
#2. Data protection strategies
Use data loss prevention (DLP) measures
Data loss prevention (DLP) measures help prevent unauthorized access and data leakage. DLP measures include encryption and tokenization, effective techniques for protecting sensitive data.
By encrypting data using robust encryption algorithms, you can ensure that even if unauthorized individuals gain access to your data, they cannot decipher it without the encryption key.
Tokenization replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive placeholders, reducing the risk of exposure in a breach.
Set up Salesforce's Security Health Check
Salesforce's Security Health Check feature comprehensively assesses your platform's security settings. This allows you to identify and address potential vulnerabilities proactively. By regularly running the health checks, you can ensure that your Salesforce environment remains compliant with industry best practices.
This feature evaluates various aspects of your security configuration, including password policies, login restrictions, and session settings, providing actionable recommendations for improving your security posture.
Monitor and audit user activity
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Author's note: I am coming from personal experience when I say you should start regularly monitoring and auditing user activity within your Salesforce environment.
This security best practice is vital for detecting potential risks and ensuring compliance with your organization's security policies. Salesforce provides robust auditing capabilities that allow you to track changes to records, login attempts, and other user activities. Regularly reviewing audit logs allows you to identify suspicious behavior and proactively address security concerns before they escalate.
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Fun fact: When I was a Salesforce Developer, I checked audit logs to identify the person who made changes to my work. This helped me reassign the QA bugs. Using audit logs to their full potential is a life hack!
#3. Securing third-party app integrations
Properly screen app providers and integrations
When you're integrating a third-party app with Salesforce, screen it thoroughly. Make sure that the app provider showcases their commitment to security and compliance.
Review their security practices, certifications, and customer reviews to assess their reliability and trustworthiness.
Carefully evaluate the integration to ensure it adheres to your organization's security policies and best practices.
Conducting due diligence upfront can help mitigate the risk of security vulnerabilities and data exposure later on. Precaution is better than a cure.
Continuously monitor third-party apps
You can never be too sure no matter how thoroughly you screen the third-party apps before integration. Hence, regularly monitoring and assessing your third-party app integrations is essential for maintaining the direction of your org's security.
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You can use monitoring tools or services that provide visibility into app usage, data access, and security events. Look out for any unusual or suspicious activity, such as unauthorized data access or changes to permissions. Additionally, stay informed about security updates and patches the app provider releases and promptly apply them to minimize security risks.
Apply the "principle of least privilege"
When granting permissions to third-party apps, adhere to the "principle of least privilege" by only granting the minimum necessary permissions for the app to function. Limiting permissions reduces the risk of unauthorized access or data leakage if the app is compromised. Review and update permissions regularly as needed to ensure ongoing security.
Additional best Salesforce security practices
When it comes to security, you can never be too cautious. Beyond the fundamental security measures that I stated above, here are a few more:
Writing Secure Apex
Writing secure Apex is essential for maintaining the integrity and security of your Salesforce environment. Secure code minimizes vulnerabilities, reduces the risk of unauthorized access, and ensures the confidentiality of sensitive data.
How do you write secure Apex? Use parameterized queries, avoid hard-coded credentials, and implement proper access controls. These practices fortify your code against common threats and adhere to the best security standards.
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Read more: Do you want to find out more about Apex development? Get the ultimate guide here.
Hutte's Salesforce Code Analyzer
You might view Hutte as a tool for org management, deployment, and packaging. But it also boasts a complimentary template for secure Apex code called Hutte's Salesforce Code Analyzer.
It acts as a quality gate in your CI/CD pipeline, automatically assessing code changes for issues, vulnerabilities, and overall quality. It integrates into Git providers, ensuring that every code contribution undergoes a thorough quality evaluation before deployment.
You should create a comprehensive incident response plan to address security incidents within your Salesforce environment:
Define clear procedures for detecting, responding to, and mitigating security threats.
Assign roles and responsibilities.
Establish communication channels.
Conduct regular drills to ensure readiness in the event of a security breach.
Minimize downtime and data loss
Prepare strategies to minimize downtime and data loss during security incidents.
Implement backup and recovery procedures to ensure quick restoration of critical data.
Maintain redundant systems and fail-over mechanisms to mitigate the impact of disruptions.
Regularly test your disaster recovery plans to verify their effectiveness and identify any areas for improvement.
Educate employees on Security best practices
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Author's note: I can't stress this point enough. It is beneficial to understand that the slightest mistake by any of your team members can risk your org's security.
Thus, it is important to encourage each team member to actively participate in maintaining a secure Salesforce environment.
Provide comprehensive training on security best practices, covering password hygiene, phishing awareness, and data handling procedures.
Build a security-first mindset within the organization by promoting accountability and emphasizing the importance of safeguarding sensitive data.
Stay informed about Salesforce security updates
You may have all the security measures in place, but they'll be pointless if you're not regularly updated.
Constantly monitor Salesforce security updates and advisories to stay ahead of emerging threats.
Subscribe to Salesforce security alerts for timely notifications about essential security patches and vulnerabilities.
Actively participate in the Salesforce community by joining forums, attending webinars, and sharing knowledge with peers to stay informed and exchange insights on security best practices.
Stay safe
As I've already said, you can never be too sure about security, especially in the case of Salesforce, where people and organizations have shared access.
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First, share this article within your organization to help them learn Salesforce security best practices and enhance security awareness. Then, follow these best practices regularly and train users on security and compliance topics, such as recognizing phishing attempts and adhering to security policies.
Remember, security is not a one-time deed but an ongoing commitment. Stay informed and updated, and continually evaluate and enhance your security posture to adapt to evolving threats.
Sushrut is a skilled Salesforce Developer, Technical Writer, and Entrepreneur. His expertise includes front-end dev, Web3, and DevRel. He leverages technology to craft exceptional digital experiences.
