Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) are a go-to for many organizations aiming to control cloud application usage. They play a valuable role in enforcing policies and managing data across multiple SaaS services.
However, when it comes to securing Salesforce against targeted threats like phishing links, malware-laden attachments, and malicious URLs in Experience Cloud, CASBs often fall short — especially against the tactics now commonly used to exploit Salesforce.
Here’s why a native solution built specifically for Salesforce can offer stronger, more direct protection.
What do CASBs actually do?
CASBs act as intermediaries between users and cloud applications, offering visibility, control, and policy enforcement. Their core capabilities typically include:
- Monitoring cloud app usage
- Enforcing data loss prevention (DLP) policies
- Managing user access and authentication
- Identifying shadow IT
- Logging activity across cloud environments
Modern CASBs have added support for API integrations and some near real-time threat detection, especially for apps like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Box. But their design focus remains broad — spanning multiple services with a heavy emphasis on policy and governance rather than deep, inline threat protection.
How is Salesforce different from other SaaS applications?
Salesforce is not a passive storage platform or messaging tool — it’s an interactive ecosystem used by employees, customers, partners, and automated integrations. Content is constantly being added through:
- Support case comments
- Experience Cloud portals
- File uploads and downloads
- Chatter posts
- API integrations and third-party tools
This level of openness creates powerful business value — but it also makes Salesforce an attractive vector for attackers. Malicious actors are increasingly using tactics like embedding phishing links in comments, hiding malware in uploaded PDFs, or using QR codes to bypass detection.
Securing Salesforce effectively requires more than user access control or DLP — it demands content-level threat detection in real time.
Where do CASBs fall short in Salesforce security?
While CASBs can provide visibility into user behavior and apply general policies, they often struggle in the following areas when it comes to Salesforce:
- Real-time scanning gaps: Some CASBs use APIs to scan content, but this often happens after the content is already in the platform — missing the opportunity to block threats before user interaction.
- Limited contextual insight: CASBs don’t always capture the full context within Salesforce — such as what record or object a malicious file was associated with, or whether a shared link was part of an internal workflow or public portal.
- External user blind spots: CASBs generally focus on managed users and devices. They often don’t scan or enforce policies on content coming from unauthenticated external users — a key risk vector in Salesforce community environments.
- Integration complexity: CASBs can require extensive setup — including proxies, identity federation, and endpoint agents — which may not align well with fast-moving Salesforce projects or orgs with complex customizations.
These gaps become especially risky in environments like Salesforce, where attackers exploit trust and routine workflows to hide their payloads. Recent credential theft and malware campaigns have shown how attackers can exploit these exact kinds of blind spots in cloud platforms — including scenarios highly relevant to Salesforce environments.
What does an effective Salesforce security solution require?
Protecting Salesforce today requires going beyond policy enforcement and user monitoring. An effective solution must:
- Detect and block malicious content at the moment it enters Salesforce
- Analyze both file uploads and embedded URLs, including those in QR codes
- Provide full visibility and audit trails within the Salesforce context
- Work with internal and external users alike — including Experience Cloud visitors
- Operate natively inside Salesforce, without disrupting workflows or requiring major architectural changes
In short, Salesforce security needs to be purpose-built — understanding the nuances of the platform and the unique ways attackers exploit it.
If you’re not seeing what’s really happening in your org, this breakdown of in-platform visibility in Salesforce is a must-read.
Native, real-time threat detection inside Salesforce
WithSecure Cloud Protection for Salesforce is designed specifically to address these challenges.
- It scans all content in real time — including file uploads, shared links, and user-generated text.
- It detects threats embedded in everyday interactions, including phishing links disguised as support updates or QR codes posted in community threads.
- It integrates natively within Salesforce, so there’s no need for complex proxies or traffic rerouting.
- It works instantly for all users — internal, external, guest, or partner.
Ready to see it in action?