10 Ways Automated Scans Avoid Costly Overexposures

10 Ways Automated Scans Avoid Costly Overexposures_CodeScan

10 Ways Automated Scans Avoid Costly Overexposures_CodeScanIntentional preparation through the use of automated tools like a code quality scanner can help prevent extremely costly and harmful data loss events.

Why It Matters: Granting access to critical data by too many team members increases the likelihood of a costly accident, which is still the leading cause of data loss.

  • Overexposure occurs when team members have access to sensitive data even though they don’t need it to complete their duties.
  • Human error can expose, delete, or corrupt essential information, leading to interruptions in service, fines and penalties, and possibly data security breaches.
  • Continuous oversight is necessary to prevent these outcomes, but this is difficult to maintain as teams grow larger.

1. Guarantees Error-Free Code

A thorough data security strategy starts with secure applications and updates. Introducing error-free DevOps products fortifies your platform and prevents data leaks by eliminating potential vulnerabilities.

Eliminating bugs gives you flawless code, ensuring proper functionality and reducing the likelihood of misfires that lead to costly mistakes.

A Salesforce code quality scanner automatically checks every line of code against hundreds of internal rules. And as soon as a line of code falls out of compliance with these rules, an alert is issued to developers so they can quickly and easily correct mistakes—preventing bugs in a live environment drastically reduces the cost of rectifying errors compared to mistakes found post-production.

2. Verifies Proper Permission Settings

10 Ways Automated Scans Avoid Costly Overexposures_CodeScan

The most common reason for overexposed data is when employees have permission to view and edit data sets that aren’t needed to complete their daily work. Human error is inevitable. The chances of an error increase with every additional team member with access to a piece of data.

Permission sets and profiles that aren’t directly tailored to each position pose threats by allowing access to data by employees who don’t need it.

Working through every profile and permission set can take an exorbitant amount of time, depending on how large of a team you have. OrgScan is a policy management tool that automatically scans these settings for anything out of line.

3. Locates Technical Debt

Legacy updates and applications might have been produced prior to utilizing a code quality scanner. And if you still don’t use a static code analysis tool for this, there’s a good chance some errors and bugs have found their way into your live environment. We’ve discussed how this can be detrimental to your data security strategy and lead to exposed data.

Technical debt refers to bugs and errors currently in your system. These errors either haven’t been exploited yet—or maybe you simply haven’t noticed they have been.

A code quality scanner checks new code on the front end of the application life cycle, but it also addresses the other end of the pipeline. Automated scans to seek out technical debt will make your environment run more smoothly and reduce the chances of costly overexposure of data.

4. Enforces Internal Rules

You’ll find a lot of articles and discussion around the idea of best practices for how to handle sensitive data, how to get the most from your DevOps pipeline, and how team members should interact with their Salesforce environment. There’s a good reason for this—improper actions lead to data leaks, corruption, and exposures that are incredibly costly.

Ensuring every team member adheres to internal rules for operating within your Salesforce system prevents scenarios that result in data loss events.

An automated policy scanner can be leveraged to find and flag any instances of failing to adhere to internal rules. Managing a large group is much easier when you don’t need to manually check everyone’s work.

5. Scanning Backups Prevents Recovery of Bugs

10 Ways Automated Scans Avoid Costly Overexposures_CodeScanA data backup and recovery tool is an essential aspect of a complete data security plan. However, as mentioned previously, legacy bugs and errors likely exist within your systems. These bugs will also be transferred to your backup repositories whenever a snapshot is taken of the system.

A code quality scanner analyzes backup repositories for bugs and errors copied over from live environments. This guarantees proper functionality when data is recovered for your system.

Automated quality checks that happen from a variety of angles have the best chance at rooting out vulnerabilities that could potentially lead to an overexposure of sensitive data.

6. Oversees Third-Party Integrations

IDE plugins are a great way for developers to personalize their development environment to something they are more comfortable with. These plugins create additional integration points with your system that can be exploited if they are not properly managed.

CodeScan integrates with IDE plugins to ensure total coverage is achieved and no gaps emerge in code quality.

Cracks in any security barrier can result in widespread damage. Even a small vulnerability can grant access to a bad actor, and once they’re inside, they are free to move throughout the system.

7. Removes Burden from Team Members

Any type of automation has the potential to increase each team member’s productivity. Manual processes are slow and error prone. Something as crucial as code tests shouldn’t be rushed to meet a deadline.

Static code analysis drastically decreases the amount of time it takes to verify proper structures and boosts release velocity.

Automating processes takes time-consuming tasks away from your team so they can focus on more detail-oriented tasks. This not only creates better projects, but also offers a more enjoyable experience for your developers.

8. Promotes Learning Through Highlighted Errors

There’s a reason developers with more experience are more sought after as employees. They’ve had more time to learn from their mistakes and are better equipped to handle challenging situations that arise.

Automated scans provide immediate feedback to developers, which allows them to quickly fix their errors, but also learn to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

Code quality scanners offer direct benefits to current projects, but they also provide additional training that strengthens projects down the line. Constant feedback is a great asset in learning, and static code analysis provides this to every developer.

9. Expands Release Potential

10 Ways Automated Scans Avoid Costly Overexposures_CodeScan

You’ve already learned how automation expedites development processes. Performing less manual work reduces errors and increases the speed at which code reviews can be performed. This multiplies the number of releases your team is capable of producing per year. It also affords your organization the ability to quickly release updates to address emerging issues.

Cybersecurity threats are always evolving. The ability to quickly respond with new patches and updates is invaluable when fending off cyberthreats.

Overexposures happen when internal systems break down. Continuous updates serve to fix these systems as issues emerge. Automating code reviews speeds along development processes so your team is able to properly maintain your environment.

10. Enables Replicable, Scalable Processes

Mistakes happen when team members are uncomfortable. Being able to provide a surprise-free experience nets you more predictable results.

Templatizing processes becomes possible when your team has the tools needed to best perform its duties. Static code analysis ensures no surprises emerge in later stages of the DevOps pipeline.

Overexposed data can be the result of a variety of failures. Errors in operation, faulty code, unfortified infrastructure—all of these factors can result in a data loss event. Automated scans—whether it’s a policy scanner or a code quality scanner—catch errors that lead to overexposure before they have the ability to harm your Salesforce environment.

Next Step…

Salesforce data is often a focus for data security measures—and for good reason. However, metadata must also be protected to ensure proper functionality of your environment.

Learn more by downloading our ebook, The Ultimate Guide to Salesforce Metadata.

FAQs

Even the most talented team members are going to make the occasional mistake. And when a team member is tasked with, for example, testing thousands of lines of code in a new release, these mistakes become an inevitability. Automated tools like a code quality scanner address these tasks with guaranteed consistency. At the same time, these reviews are performed much quicker, speeding along development processes and enabling more releases every year.

We’ve been told about guarding our passwords and avoiding phishing attempts from the moment we first began interacting with the internet. Cybercriminals are built up to be boogeymen who are hiding around every corner. And while this is undoubtably true, the largest threat to the data and network of an organization’s environment is actually its own workforce. Accidental deletions and other mistakes can lead to downtime, which costs companies an average of $4,500 per minute. So while external bad actors need to be guarded against, a complete data security strategy must also mitigate internal threats.

The needs of every company are different. There are numerous options for various DevOps tools so it’s important to take the full picture into account when selecting your toolset. There are a few factors that make a code quality scanner better than its competition: number of internal rules, ability to integrate with a larger DevSecOps platform, and reliable functionality. CodeScan offers Salesforce developers more than 600 rules that address all Salesforce languages and metadata. It also integrates seamlessly with AutoRABIT’s CI/CD pipeline, offering numerous quality checkpoints to produce the most secure, high-quality products possible without sacrificing an exorbitant amount of developer time.

Develop high quality, secure code!

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