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Does a Salesforce Security Scanner Impact Code?

Josh Rank
March 2, 2022

Data security is a constant concern. There are ever-evolving threats that have the potential to impact the stability of your system, privacy of your customers, and your company’s ability to remain in compliance with government regulations.

A Salesforce security scanner can come in many forms, but it can be the difference between addressing a vulnerability and experiencing a data loss event.

These scans can investigate your applications and updates throughout the DevOps pipeline, or they can analyze you Salesforce environment itself.

But how does a Salesforce security scanner affect the code that makes up your DevOps projects?

These tools have the potential to find bugs and errors that might later be exploited by bad actors to infiltrate your system. This is why tools like static code analysis have become a necessity for companies that value error-free products, high release velocity, and maintained levels of data security.

But how do you choose between available Salesforce code scanners? Why do you need one in the first place? And how will your code be impacted?

Here are 7 considerations about utilizing a Salesforce security scanner:

What Is Covered by a Salesforce Security Scanner?
Poor Code Quality Creates Vulnerabilities
Metadata Must Also Be Addressed
Manual Processes Result in Errors
Salesforce Security Scanners + Compliance
Data Security Requires a Comprehensive Approach
Do I Need to Scan My Code?

1. What Is Covered by a Salesforce Security Scanner?

Your Salesforce environment has a massive amount of data. This could include personally identifiable information for both team members and customers, financial information, and general system information that can lead to a total exposure.

A Salesforce security scanner should address the various types of data within a system and provide reports on potential entry points.

Improper practices for passwords or handling of devices can lead to data exposure or loss. A Salesforce security scanner should analyze these potential vulnerabilities and provide repeated reports on the success of your overall security strategy. These reports can be used to monitor success and inform future decisions on how to approach data security.

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2. Poor Code Quality Creates Vulnerabilities

The code that makes up your applications and updates will have a massive effect on the overall security of your Salesforce environment. Unstable coding practices can create backdoors that can be exploited by cybercriminals or lead to errors that might otherwise compromise your system.

A Salesforce code scanner should address the quality of your code and analyze existing technical debt for instability.

Quickly producing updates to address evolving needs is a great way to maintain an updated data security strategy. However, moving quickly often leads to coding errors—which can also create security vulnerabilities. A Salesforce static code analysis tool is a great type of a security scanner to keep your code strong and system secure.

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3. Metadata Must Also Be Addressed

Metadata exists in the background of just about every interaction within your Salesforce environment. This could take the form of metadata that describes other data, or metadata that relates to the functionality of linked objects and fields.

Metadata is subject to data security regulations—and for good reason. A Salesforce security scanner that doesn’t address metadata is ignoring a large section of your platform.

Metadata properties persist, inherit, propagate, and nest. Any errors or bugs that are introduced to your metadata will infect surrounding aspects of your Salesforce environment. Static code analysis addresses metadata along with other types of system data to provide a well-rounded approach to data security.

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4. Manual Processes Result in Errors

Our team members are our greatest resource. We simply can’t perform the tasks we need to serve our customers if not for the efforts of the various people that make up the company. And these benefits become even more pronounced when we can take repetitive tasks off their hands so they can focus on more important matters.

Automating security checks through a Salesforce security scanner ensures the intended areas are fully scanned for vulnerabilities.

Human error is inevitable, no matter how skilled our workers may be. This is an unavoidable aspect of working with a team. An automated Salesforce security scanner increases coverage, reduces mistakes, and frees up your team members.

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5. Salesforce Security Scanners + Compliance

Data security is an essential aspect of planning out your Salesforce environment. Failure to do so leaves you vulnerable to becoming compromised and costing your company time and money.

However, the same needs that drive these considerations are also addressed by various government regulations. These are in place to guarantee the security of sensitive information that can have wide-ranging impacts if proper security measures are not in place—including fines and penalties.

Scanning your environment with compliance in mind ensures you are properly covering your bases and makes it much easier to remain in accordance with guidelines.

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6. Data Security Requires a Comprehensive Approach

The threats to your Salesforce environment are simply too diverse to name all of them. And they’re not all as apparent as a cybercriminal sending a phishing email to every member of your staff—although that definitely needs to be protected against as well.

The only way to adequately protect your Salesforce environment is to enact every possible measure of protection, and a Salesforce security scanner plays a large role in this.

The code that makes up your environment needs to be stable. A comprehensive approach to data security starts with ensuring you are not creating opportunities for failure. Releasing an update that works against your data security interests doesn’t do anybody any good.

Scan your code with a static code analysis tool to ensure you are only releasing the highest quality of updates and applications. Failing to do so opens your system up to potential data security threats.

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7. Integrate with Popular Plugins

Many development environments will inevitably include a series of customizations. Developers can take that a step further and integrate a new development environment through IDE plugins. The DevOps tools you use for code analysis, CI/CD, and anything else will need to work within these plugins just as well as they would in a standard Salesforce environment.

Sourcing quality tools with the flexibility to meet your team’s specific needs will support successful code analysis and enable your DevOps team.

Editor plugins can be a great way to properly test your applications and updates and plugging a Salesforce code analysis tool into them makes them eve more powerful.

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Tags: code quality, data security, salesforce DevOps, salesforce static code analysis tool

Does a Salesforce Security Scanner Impact Code?

1. What Is Covered by a Salesforce Security Scanner?

2. Poor Code Quality Creates Vulnerabilities

3. Metadata Must Also Be Addressed

4. Manual Processes Result in Errors

5. Salesforce Security Scanners + Compliance

6. Data Security Requires a Comprehensive Approach

7. Integrate with Popular Plugins

Develop high quality, secure code!

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