9 best Salesforce security best practices for 2024

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:

• User access management
• Data protection
• Third-party app security.

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.

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.

#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

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.

#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.

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.

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.

Develop a robust incident response plan

You should create a comprehensive incident response plan to address security incidents within your Salesforce environment:

1. Define clear procedures for detecting, responding to, and mitigating security threats.
2. Assign roles and responsibilities.
3. Establish communication channels.
4. Conduct regular drills to ensure readiness in the event of a security breach.

Minimize downtime and data loss

1. Prepare strategies to minimize downtime and data loss during security incidents.
2. Implement backup and recovery procedures to ensure quick restoration of critical data.
3. Maintain redundant systems and fail-over mechanisms to mitigate the impact of disruptions.
4. Regularly test your disaster recovery plans to verify their effectiveness and identify any areas for improvement.

Educate employees on Security best practices

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.

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.