Salesforce is where your teams move quickly - sharing files, collaborating across departments, and storing sensitive customer data. It's also a place where a single infected upload can create problems that spread fast. It’s where malware can hide in plain sight, where one download can bring down your entire infrastructure.
That's why OPSWAT’s MetaDefender for Salesforce automatically scans every file as soon as it’s uploaded, ensuring your system stays protected without slowing down your workflow. It catches known and unknown threats, removes malicious content, and prevents infected files from reaching users or being shared across the system. No extra steps. No user action required. Just automatic protection where it counts.
A CRM Leader with a Crucial Security Blind Spot
As far as CRM software providers go, Salesforce has long established themselves as industry leaders, creating an ecosystem where sales, marketing, technical support and other business processes inside an organization can enjoy a frictionless collaboration. Salesforce is renowned for providing organizations with a single, flexible, and scalable platform. More than 150,000 businesses use Salesforce, due to undeniable advantages in terms of flexibility, ease-of-use, and accessibility.
However, there's one key security gap in Salesforce that organizations need to address: While Salesforce was by no means neglectful with their built-in security measures, the absence of built-in malware scanning leaves organizations vulnerable to cyberattacks. To understand this vulnerability, we must first analyze the security measures Salesforce built onto their platform.
Native Salesforce Security Measures
Protecting the Data Infrastructure
Salesforce handles the infrastructure, ensuring that data is replicated, backed up, and protected in case of failure. These features allow for fast recovery and prevent data loss in the event of a breach. However, even if these protections safeguard against infrastructure failures, file-level security is not addressed. Files uploaded to Salesforce remain vulnerable to malware or other threats, as they are not automatically scanned.
Data Encryption
Salesforce uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of data-in-transit and at rest. If there are any threats in the network, these can be detected and blocked before they reach the infrastructure. But, even if files are encrypted, they might still be uploaded with malicious elements hidden in file elements. So, a user might unknowingly release malicious code when opening files.
Least Privilege Principle
Salesforce allows for detailed access controls, so users only have access to the data they are authorized to view or edit. While enforcing the least privilege principle reduces the risk of unauthorized access, these controls do not extend to files uploaded to the system. Files can still be shared across users and might not be adequately protected from unauthorized access. Salesforce does provide strong security features, but without file scanning, your uploaded files are still at risk of potential threats. For financial services organizations, this is particularly concerning due to strict regulatory requirements and the nature of the data they manage.
MetaDefender for Salesforce: Closing the Security Gap with Industry-Leading Threat Prevention Technology
The MetaDefender for Salesforce solution is designed to close these gaps through advanced threat protection and compliance features that Salesforce doesn’t offer out of the box.
Built specifically for Salesforce and found in the AppExchange shop, MetaDefender for Salesforce secures your CRM infrastructure through:
Advanced Threat Detection
MetaDefender uses 15 different anti-malware engines to scan uploaded files for any hidden threats. With a mix of signature-based detection, heuristic analysis, and machine learning, it’s able to identify and block malware before it ever reaches your Salesforce environment.
Zero-Day Threat Prevention
Zero-day attacks are a constant risk, but MetaDefender faces this risk with its Deep CDR™ technology. This process checks and rebuilds files to remove any hidden threats, ensuring that files entering your system are clean and safe.
Compliance Support
Compliance is non-negotiable, especially for businesses operating in highly regulated industries, such as financial institutions. MetaDefender makes compliance easier by supporting standards like PCI-DSS, SOX, FINRA, and SWIFT CSCF, so you can rest assured that your Salesforce files meet key regulatory requirements.
Seamless Integration
MetaDefender fits right into your existing Salesforce environment, with fast deployment and easy-to-use, centralized management. You can monitor security in real-time with straightforward dashboards, without the need for complicated setups or extra work on your part.
Flexible Pricing
With pricing based on API usage, not user tiers, MetaDefender works for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re growing quickly or scaling down, this flexible pricing model means you only pay for what you use.
How Security Architects Can Narrow Security Gaps inside Salesforce with MetaDefender
For this scenario, we’ll use Sam Arnold, a fictional Security Architect, working for a financial institution that uses Salesforce. Despite the built-in solid security foundation in Salesforce, Sam understands that file uploads expose the organization to file-based threats. To eliminate the security blind spot, Sam turns to MetaDefender for Salesforce.
1. Detect and Sanitize Malicious Files Before They Enter the System
One of Sam’s primary tasks is to protect his company from malware that could be hidden in files uploaded to Salesforce. With MetaDefender for Salesforce, every file that’s uploaded is scanned with 15 anti-malware engines. Files that could carry malware are detected early and removed, preventing threats from compromising Salesforce or leaking into other systems. On top of that, MetaDefender’s Deep CDR™ technology steps in to deconstruct files, removing any hidden threats or potentially harmful content embedded within them.
2. Stay Compliant with Financial Data Protection Standards
Compliance is a major concern for Sam, especially because his company works in the financial sector. Regulations require strict security controls for sensitive financial data. MetaDefender for Salesforce helps Sam ensure that uploaded files meet the necessary security standards by automatically scanning and sanitizing files. Sam can rest assured knowing that his organization stays in line with key financial regulations, avoiding potential compliance issues and audit problems.
3. Centralize Monitoring with Real-Time Dashboards
Sam needs to keep track of security across his Salesforce environment. With MetaDefender for Salesforce, he gains access to real-time dashboards that show the status of all uploaded files, any detected threats, and overall system health. Having everything in one place helps Sam manage security with ease. The dashboards allow him to quickly assess the situation and stay on top of any risks that might arise.
With MetaDefender for Salesforce, Sam adds the extra layer of protection needed to catch file-borne threats hidden in plain sight - keeping Salesforce secure and ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
You Shouldn’t Have to Choose Between Collaboration and Security
If you’re online, you’re exposed to risks, and Salesforce isn’t an exception. With its flexibility, scalability, and collaboration capabilities, it’s obvious why so many organizations choose Salesforce as their go-to CRM. However, you shouldn’t have to choose between collaboration and security. And you shouldn’t compromise on either of them. With MetaDefender for Salesforce, every file uploaded is automatically analyzed and sanitized to eliminate potential risks before they can cause harm.
Thanks to the native Salesforce integration, the solution is quickly deployed through the Salesforce AppExchange, ensuring minimal disruption and no additional steps for your teams. MetaDefender’s advanced threat detection leverages 15 anti-malware engines, including a combination of heuristics, machine learning, and signature-based detection to identify both known and emerging threats.
In addition, Deep CDR™ technology reconstructs files to remove any hidden threats or harmful content that could bypass traditional scanning methods, ensuring a thorough clean every time.
Ready to Take Action?
Download the free eBook to uncover key file security challenges in financial services and see how MetaDefender for Salesforce can address them.
Learn more about MetaDefender for Salesforce and its native integration with Salesforce.
Or talk to an OPSWAT expert for a personalized demo or consultation to see how we can help protect your Salesforce environment.
