Applications that handle payment and financial data must follow these comprehensive security requirements and best practices:
**Encryption and Data Protection:**
- Use strong encryption (AES-128 or higher) for all sensitive data at rest and in transit
- Store encryption keys securely in protected custom settings, custom metadata, or named credentials - never hardcode them
- Use encrypted fields for custom objects containing sensitive data
- Avoid storing sensitive data like card numbers, CVV, and account numbers in unencrypted form
**PCI Compliance and Data Minimization:**
- Ensure storage complies with PCI DSS standards
- Minimize storage of payment information and consider using secure solutions like Salesforce Billing
- Avoid storing sensitive payment details directly in Salesforce unless absolutely necessary
**Authentication and Authorization:**
- Authenticate and authorize all privileged actions, especially for accessing or modifying sensitive data like orders and payment instruments
- Implement proper access controls and field-level security (FLS) permissions
- Apply CRUD permissions to restrict data access based on user roles
- Follow the principle of least privilege
**Secure Data Handling:**
- Never write sensitive data to debug logs or pass it in URLs
- Validate and sanitize all user inputs to prevent injection attacks
- Escape content before rendering to prevent vulnerabilities
- Redact sensitive data in production logs
**Secure Communication:**
- Use HTTPS/TLS for all callouts and resource loads
- Securely handle static and dynamic resources to prevent vulnerabilities
- Use secure storage mechanisms instead of hardcoding credentials in code
**Additional Security Measures:**
- Implement Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) protocols like 3D Secure 2 where required
- Ensure secure session handling to prevent unauthorized access
- Keep third-party libraries updated and avoid loading scripts from untrusted sources
- Use static resources within the app package instead of dynamically loading from third-party CDNs
- Conduct regular security audits and maintain PCI DSS compliance
**Documentation and Transparency:**
- Provide clear documentation on how sensitive data is handled and stored
- Document and disclose data storage locations and compliance measures to customers
- Share applicable certifications with customers
These measures help secure payment applications, protect customer data effectively, and ensure compliance with industry security standards.