Salesforce Security Review

The Security Review is the security vetting process every application must pass before it can be listed on AppExchange, the Salesforce marketplace. It is carried out by the Salesforce Product Security team, which audits the app's code, data handling, authentication and integrations to catch vulnerabilities before the app reaches customers. It is a mandatory platform audit, not a certification issued by the developer.

An everyday analogy helps: it is like the safety inspection a car has to pass before it is allowed on the road. The manufacturer does not perform it; a third party with authority does, and without that seal the vehicle does not hit the road. In the same way, an app that has not passed the Security Review cannot be listed on AppExchange, no matter how good it is.

The apps Vantegrate grew out of (built by EGA Futura, its parent company) passed this process. The nuance matters: it is always a Salesforce process that the apps passed, never a certification of Vantegrate itself.

What the Security Review evaluates

The Security Review is a real technical audit, not a paperwork check. The Salesforce Product Security team inspects several areas of the application before giving it the green light:

• Common web application vulnerabilities: injection, broken access control, weak authentication and exposure of sensitive data.
• Secure handling and storage of data, including encryption in transit of the information the app processes.
• Security of external integrations: protected endpoints and encrypted communication with the third-party services the app consumes.
• Compliance with the platform's own security patterns, such as correct use of the permission model, sharing and object- and field-level access controls.
• Static code scanner results that the developer must submit as part of the review.

Why it exists and what it means for the customer

The Security Review exists so that anyone who installs an app in their org can trust it was audited with the same rigor Salesforce applies to its own products. For a midsize company in Latin America the effect is concrete: it does not have to audit, on its own, the code of a vendor it may not even know. Approval works as an upfront layer of trust, handled by the owner of the platform.

That does not release the customer from its own responsibilities. The customer still runs and configures the org, its permissions and its data. The Security Review certifies that the app's code is secure, not that each company's configuration is. They are two different layers of the same building.

Security Review vs Salesforce Shield

The Security Review is often confused with Salesforce Shield, but they address different things and do not compete with each other:

In short, the Security Review is an entry control; Shield is an operational tool that comes into play afterward, depending on what each company needs to protect.

How often it is repeated

Passing it once is not forever. Salesforce can request periodic re-reviews, typically once a year, to respond to new threats and to the changes the app has incorporated. That way, the published app stays aligned with the platform's current standards over time.

Common mistakes

• Treating it as a developer certification: it is a Salesforce process the app passes, not a seal issued by whoever built it.
• Believing it replaces the customer's own compliance: the company that installs the app still runs the org and its data.
• Assuming it is passed once and for all: there are periodic re-reviews.
• Confusing it with Shield or with certifications such as SOC 2: those apply to the infrastructure, not to a specific app.