It’s a sobering prediction: by next year, 99% of data leaks are expected to stem from misconfigurations. These misconfigurations are the most prevalent vulnerability in your tech stack’s security. Yet, due to a lack of alignment and clear security ownership, there may be one area of your business that poses major risk—your CRM.
Your Salesforce instance is the backbone of your customer and business data, but it’s only as secure as its configurations. From unauthorized data access to full-scale breaches, the risks are not just real—they’re increasing. As cyber threats continue to evolve, the responsibility to safeguard your Salesforce environment has never been more challenging—or more crucial.
In this guide, whether you’re a seasoned security professional or newly tasked with overseeing Salesforce security, you’ll learn to pinpoint the 7 most prevalent misconfigurations within your Org that expose your company to risk—and how to address them before it’s too late.
What are Salesforce Misconfigurations?
A Salesforce misconfiguration occurs when the settings, permissions, or customizations within a Salesforce instance are set up incorrectly or suboptimally, leading to unintended consequences.
These misconfigurations can create vulnerabilities, such as unauthorized access to sensitive data, data leaks, or operational inefficiencies. The downstream impact and costs associated with Salesforce misconfigurations are great and result in much more than financial loss. In addition to fines and customer turnover due to loss of trust, you also face losses from breaks and downtime and reputational damage.
Top 7 Salesforce Misconfigurations That Could Lead to Security Incidents
1. Inadequate Profile and Permission Set Configurations
80% of breaches involve compromised or abused privileged credentials, making it one of the most common and dangerous misconfigurations in Salesforce. Permission settings determine what users can access and do within your Salesforce instance. When profiles and permission sets are too broad or incorrectly assigned, they can inadvertently grant users more access than necessary. This opens the door to unauthorized access to sensitive data, posing a significant security risk.
If a user’s Salesforce permission set is overly permissive, and their credentials are compromised, an attacker could gain access to critical business data, confidential customer information, and even system-level controls. The potential for damage is vast, ranging from data theft to manipulation of business operations.
2. Incorrect Sharing Rules and Public Group Settings
Another critical area of concern in Salesforce security is the configuration of sharing rules and public group settings. Sharing rules determine how records are shared among users within your organization, while public groups are used to define collections of users who share similar access needs. Misconfigured sharing rules, such as overly broad settings that grant access to large groups of users, can lead to unintended data exposure.
The primary risk associated with incorrect sharing rules and public group settings is unintended data exposure. This can happen when sensitive information, such as customer financial details or proprietary business data, is made accessible to users who should not have access to it.
3. Mismanaged API Access
API access is a powerful feature of Salesforce, enabling integrations with other systems and applications. However, if API access is mismanaged—such as being left unrestricted or granting excessive permissions to integration users—it can become a significant security vulnerability. Unrestricted API access allows external applications to interact with Salesforce data without proper oversight, while excessive permissions may enable these integrations to perform actions beyond their intended scope.
Integrations are a common target for attackers because they provide a direct pathway to your Salesforce data. If an attacker gains unauthorized access to an API, they could exfiltrate sensitive data, manipulate records, or even execute unauthorized actions within your Salesforce environment.
4. Insufficient Field-Level Security Settings
Field-level security controls which users can view or edit specific fields within a Salesforce object. If these settings are not properly configured, sensitive fields—such as Social Security numbers, financial details, or confidential business information—may be visible to users who shouldn’t have access.
Common issues include overlooking field-level security during the setup of new objects, failing to update settings after organizational changes, or not applying restrictions consistently across different user profiles.
5. Weak Password Policies
As obvious as it may seem, weak password policies often lead to data security issues within Salesforce. However, many organizations struggle here. Weak or inconsistent password policies are common because organizations often prioritize convenience over security, fail to enforce policies consistently, and underestimate the importance of strong passwords, believing other security measures are sufficient. Additionally, resistance to change and concerns about user adoption also contribute to the issue.
Of course, a password compromise not only jeopardizes the security of your Salesforce environment but also opens the door to wider network intrusions if the compromised account has elevated permissions.
6. Unmonitored Changes to Security Settings
Unmonitored changes to security settings occur when adjustments are made without proper oversight or documentation. This can include changes to user permissions, sharing rules, or field-level security settings that go unnoticed because there is no established process for tracking and reviewing these modifications. Without event monitoring, it’s easy for unauthorized or accidental changes to slip through the cracks, potentially compromising the security of your Salesforce environment.
Over time, these untracked changes can accumulate, weakening your organization’s security posture. This drift can result in unauthorized access, data exposure, or even full-scale breaches, as the security settings no longer align with best practices or organizational policies.
7. Ignored Critical Security Updates and Patches
Lastly, an often overlooked Salesforce misconfiguration is timely application of critical Salesforce security updates and patches. When these updates are delayed or ignored, your Salesforce environment remains vulnerable to known threats. Common issues include not being aware of available updates, deprioritizing patches due to other pressing tasks, or assuming that existing security measures are sufficient without the updates.
Conclusion: Mitigating Salesforce Misconfiguration Risk at Scale
To mitigate the security threats exposed by misconfigurations, we encourage you to collaborate closely with Operations teams to embed security measures into every aspect of your Salesforce instance. This partnership ensures that misconfigurations are promptly identified, corrected, and monitored, creating a more secure and resilient environment.
However, vigilance alone isn’t enough– having the right tools is essential. Sonar offers real-time monitoring, integration mapping, change tracking, and comprehensive documentation, providing the visibility and control needed to safeguard your Salesforce environment and its connected tech stack.
With Sonar, security and Ops alike can detect and correct misconfigurations quickly and prevent them from occurring, ensuring your Salesforce instance remains secure against evolving threats. Transform your Salesforce data security and try Sonar free today.