Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud: Secure Coding Best Practices

This document provides a concise guide to security best practices for Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud development, focusing on SFRA Controllers, OCAPI/SCAPI Hooks, and Custom SCAPI Endpoints.

Core Security Principles

• •Shared Responsibility: Salesforce secures the cloud infrastructure. You, the developer, are responsible for securing the custom code you write in the cloud.
• •Defense-in-Depth: Security is layered. Do not rely on a single control (like a WAF). Your code must be independently secure.
• •OWASP Top 10: All development should align with OWASP principles to mitigate common web application vulnerabilities.
• •Server-Side Validation: Always validate and sanitize all user input on the server. Client-side validation is for user experience only and provides no security. Use an allowlist approach.
• •Secrets Management: Never hardcode secrets (API keys, credentials). Store them in Custom Site Preferences.
• •Secure Cryptography: Use the dw.crypto package for all cryptographic operations. Avoid deprecated Weak* classes like WeakCipher.
• •HTTP Security Headers: Configure security headers like Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security in the httpHeaders.json file.

1. Securing SFRA Controllers

Controllers are the entry point for storefront logic. Security here is paramount.

Authentication & Authorization

Always verify who the user is (authentication) and what they are allowed to do (authorization). There are off course anonymous users, but authenticated users must be verified before accessing protected resources such as the profile, basket, or order history.

• •Authentication: Use the userLoggedIn middleware to ensure a shopper is logged in.
• •Authorization: After authenticating, verify the user owns the data they are trying to access or modify (e.g., check if basket.customerNo matches req.currentCustomer.profile.customerNo).

var server = require('server');
var userLoggedIn = require('\*/cartridge/scripts/middleware/userLoggedIn');
var CustomerMgr = require('dw/customer/CustomerMgr');

// The 'userLoggedIn.validateLoggedIn' middleware handles authentication.
server.post('UpdateProfile', userLoggedIn.validateLoggedIn, function (req, res, next) {
    // Authorization MUST be performed inside the controller logic.
    var profileForm = server.forms.getForm('profile');
    var customer = CustomerMgr.getCustomerByCustomerNumber(
        req.currentCustomer.profile.customerNo
    );

    // Example Authorization Check: Does the logged-in user own this data?
    if (customer.profile.email!== profileForm.email.value) {
        res.setStatusCode(403);
        res.json({ error: 'Forbidden' });
        return next();
    }

    //... proceed with business logic...
    res.json({ success: true });
    next();
});

module.exports = server.exports();

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Protection

Use the csrfProtection middleware for any state-changing POST request. [12, 13]

1. •Generate Token: Use csrfProtection.generateToken when rendering the form page.
2. •Validate Token: Use csrfProtection.validateRequest when processing the form submission.

<form action="${URLUtils.url('Account-HandleProfileUpdate')}" method="POST">
   ...
    <input type="hidden" name="${pdict.csrf.tokenName}" value="${pdict.csrf.token}"/>
    <button type="submit">Save</button>
</form>

// In your controller
var csrfProtection = require('*/cartridge/scripts/middleware/csrf');

// 1. Generate token for the form page
server.get('EditProfile', csrfProtection.generateToken, function(req, res, next) {
    //... render page...
});

// 2. Validate token on form submission
server.post('HandleProfileUpdate', csrfProtection.validateRequest, function(req, res, next) {
    // If execution reaches here, the token was valid.
    //... process form...
});

CRITICAL: CSRF Middleware Automation

❌ COMMON MISTAKE: Manually adding CSRF tokens to viewData

// ❌ WRONG - Don't do this!
server.get('ShowForm', csrfProtection.generateToken, function(req, res, next) {
    res.render('myForm', {
        csrf: {
            tokenName: req.csrf.tokenName,  // ❌ Redundant
            token: req.csrf.token           // ❌ Redundant  
        }
    });
});

✅ CORRECT APPROACH: Let middleware handle it automatically

// ✅ CORRECT - Middleware automatically adds CSRF to pdict
server.get('ShowForm', csrfProtection.generateToken, function(req, res, next) {
    res.render('myForm', {
        // No need to manually add CSRF - middleware does this
        pageTitle: 'My Form',
        otherData: 'value'
    });
    // pdict.csrf.tokenName and pdict.csrf.token are automatically available
});

Remote Include Security (server.middleware.include)

Remote includes (<isinclude url="...">) invoke an entirely NEW request created by the Web Adapter – they DO NOT inherit the authentication context of the parent page. Treat every remote include endpoint as PUBLIC unless you explicitly secure it.

Mandatory Middleware Order

server.get('AccountWidget',
  server.middleware.include,          // 1. Gatekeeper – blocks direct access without include flag
  userLoggedIn.validateLoggedIn,      // 2. Re-establish authenticated context if user data needed
  cache.applyShortPromotionSensitiveCache, // 3. Explicit cache policy (or disable)
  function (req, res, next) {
    // SAFE: now in controlled context
    res.render('components/account/widget');
    next();
  }
);

NEVER put userLoggedIn.validateLoggedIn before server.middleware.include – bots probing the route directly would still trigger authentication logic (unnecessary overhead) and you'd miss the explicit architectural contract.

Identifying Remote Include Requests

req.includeRequest === true inside the controller. Log defensively:

if (!req.includeRequest) {
  // Unexpected direct access attempt
  Logger.warn('Blocked direct access to remote include endpoint: {0}', request.httpPath);
  res.setStatusCode(404);
  return next();
}

What NOT to Expose via Remote Include

• •Full order history snippets
• •Payment method lists / masked credit cards
• •Personally identifying profile composites
• •Any fragment whose output differs materially per authenticated user unless properly protected

Logging & Forensics

Use extended request ID format (baseId-depth-index) to correlate parent + fragment in logs. Example: Xa12Bc-0-00 (page), Xa12Bc-1-02 (third fragment). This enables rapid blast-radius analysis during incident response.

Security Review Checklist

[ ] server.middleware.include first in chain
[ ] Auth middleware present if user / sensitive data
[ ] No secrets / PII in query params
[ ] Cache TTL appropriate (0 for volatile personal data)
[ ] Fragment count on target pages audited (<20)
[ ] No deep nesting (depth <= 2)
[ ] Logging on unexpected direct access attempts

If any checklist item fails, remediate before deployment.

How CSRF Middleware Works

csrfProtection.generateToken automatically:

• •Generates a secure token
• •Adds csrf.tokenName and csrf.token to the response's viewData
• •Makes them available in templates as ${pdict.csrf.tokenName} and ${pdict.csrf.token}

Templates access tokens directly:

<!-- ✅ Tokens available automatically -->
<input type="hidden" name="${pdict.csrf.tokenName}" value="${pdict.csrf.token}"/>

csrfProtection.validateRequest automatically:

• •Validates the submitted token
• •Handles failures (logout/redirect)
• •Allows controller to proceed only if valid

Key Principle: Never manually add CSRF data to viewData - the middleware handles this completely. Manually adding CSRF tokens is redundant and can lead to inconsistencies or security issues.

Server-Side Validation & Output Encoding

• •Validation: Define validation rules (e.g., mandatory, regexp, max-length) in your form definition XML. SFRA automatically enforces these on the server when the form is processed. [14]
• •Output Encoding: Always use encoding="on" in <isprint> tags to prevent XSS. This is the default and should not be turned off without a specific, secure reason. [9]

<field formid="email"
       type="string"
       mandatory="true"
       max-length="50"
       regexp="^[\w.%+-]+@[\w.-]+\.[\w]{2,6}$"
       parse-error="error.message.parse.email" />

<div>Your email: <isprint value="${pdict.profileForm.email.value}" encoding="on" /></div>

2. Securing OCAPI/SCAPI Hooks

Hooks are powerful but dangerous. They run in a privileged context after initial gateway authentication but before business-level authorization. [15, 16]

Primary Rule: Never trust the request. Always re-validate authorization inside the hook script. Check that the authenticated user owns the object being modified. [16]

Authorization Example (beforePATCH hook)

'use strict';

var Status = require('dw/system/Status');
var Logger = require('dw/system/Logger');

exports.beforePATCH = function (basket, productItem, productItemDocument) {
    // The gateway authenticated the client, but we MUST authorize the action.
    if (customer.authenticated) {
        // CRITICAL AUTHORIZATION CHECK:
        if (basket.customerNo!== customer.profile.customerNo) {
            Logger.getLogger('Security').warn('Auth failure: Customer {0} tried to modify basket {1}', customer.profile.customerNo, basket.basketNo);
            // Return an error to block the operation.
            return new Status(Status.ERROR, 'AUTH_ERROR', 'Request could not be processed.');
        }
    }
    //... additional validation on productItemDocument...
    return new Status(Status.OK); // Allow operation
};

Hook Best Practices

• •Performance: Keep hook logic simple and fast. Avoid making new database calls (e.g., ProductMgr.getProduct()). [17, 18, 19]
• •Error Handling: Wrap logic in try-catch blocks. Return generic dw.system.Status errors to the client. Log detailed, non-sensitive error information for debugging. [16, 20]

3. Securing Custom SCAPI Endpoints

Custom SCAPI Endpoints use a "contract-first" security model. The OpenAPI Specification (OAS) 3.0 YAML file is an active, enforceable security policy. [21, 22]

Contract-First Security

The platform validates requests against the OAS contract at the edge, before your script runs. Any request with undefined parameters, headers, or body structures is automatically rejected. [23, 24]

Security Schemes & Scopes

Define security in the OAS contract using securitySchemes and apply them to endpoints. Each endpoint must have exactly one custom scope (prefixed with c_). [21, 25]

• •ShopperToken: For customer-facing APIs. Uses SLAS JWTs. [25]
• •AmOAuth2: For admin/back-office APIs. Uses Account Manager tokens. [25]

openapi: 3.0.0
info:
  title: Custom Loyalty API
  version: "1.0.0"
servers:
  - url: https://{shortCode}.api.commercecloud.salesforce.com
paths:
  /c_loyalty/v1/organizations/{organizationId}/shoppers/me/points:
    get:
      summary: Get Loyalty Points for the current Shopper
      operationId: getLoyaltyPointsForShopper
      # This endpoint requires a ShopperToken with the 'c_loyalty.read' scope.
      security:
        - ShopperToken: [c_loyalty.read]
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success.
  /c_loyalty/v1/organizations/{organizationId}/customers/{customerId}/points_adjustment:
    post:
      summary: Adjust Loyalty Points for a specific customer (Admin Only)
      operationId: adjustCustomerLoyaltyPoints
      # This endpoint requires an Admin token with the 'c_loyalty.write' scope.
      security:
        - AmOAuth2: [c_loyalty.write]
      responses:
        '204':
          description: Success.

# Reusable security scheme definitions
components:
  securitySchemes:
    # Definition for Shopper APIs
    ShopperToken:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      bearerFormat: JWT
      description: "Requires a Shopper Access Token (SLAS) with c_ scopes."

    # Definition for Admin APIs
    AmOAuth2:
      type: oauth2
      description: "Requires an Account Manager token with c_ scopes."
      flows:
        clientCredentials:
          tokenUrl: [https://account.demandware.com/dwsso/oauth2/access_token](https://account.demandware.com/dwsso/oauth2/access_token)
          scopes:
            c_loyalty.read: "Read shopper loyalty data."
            c_loyalty.write: "Modify shopper loyalty data."

4. Advanced Secrets Management

Hardcoding secrets such as API keys, credentials, or encryption keys in source code is a severe vulnerability. The platform provides specific, secure locations for storing different types of secrets:

• •

  Service Credentials (dw.svc.ServiceCredential): The most secure and appropriate method for storing secrets used to authenticate to external services (e.g., payment gateways, tax providers, shipping services). Credentials are created and managed in Business Manager (Administration > Operations > Services). In code, they are accessed as a read-only dw.svc.ServiceCredential object, and their values are never exposed in logs or to the client. This should be the default choice for any third-party integration credential.

• •

  Encrypted Custom Object Attributes: For storing other types of sensitive data that are not service credentials, create a custom attribute on a system or custom object and set its type to PASSWORD. The platform automatically encrypts the value of this attribute at rest.

• •

  Custom Site Preferences: Suitable for storing non-secret configuration values, such as feature toggles, endpoint URLs, or less sensitive identifiers. While a vast improvement over hardcoding, they are not encrypted in the same way as ServiceCredential or PASSWORD attributes and should not be the first choice for highly sensitive secrets like private keys or primary authentication credentials.

5. Modern Cryptography with dw.crypto

All cryptographic operations must be performed using the APIs provided in the dw.crypto package. This package provides access to industry-standard, Salesforce-maintained cryptographic libraries.

A critical security mandate is to avoid all deprecated Weak* classes, such as WeakCipher, WeakMac, and WeakMessageDigest. These classes use outdated and insecure algorithms that are vulnerable to attack. Some older third-party cartridges may still contain references to them; these cartridges must be updated or replaced.

All new development must use the modern classes like dw.crypto.Cipher. The following is a secure example of symmetric encryption using AES with a GCM block mode, which provides both confidentiality and authenticity.

var Cipher = require('dw/crypto/Cipher');
var Encoding = require('dw/crypto/Encoding');
var SecureRandom = require('dw/crypto/SecureRandom');

// Key must be a securely generated, Base64-encoded 256-bit (32-byte) key.
// It should be stored securely using Service Credentials or an encrypted attribute.
var base64Key = 'YOUR_SECURE_BASE64_ENCODED_KEY_HERE';

// Plaintext to be encrypted
var plainText = 'This is sensitive data.';

// 1. Generate a cryptographically secure random Initialization Vector (IV).
// For AES/GCM, a 12-byte (96-bit) IV is recommended.
var ivBytes = new SecureRandom().nextBytes(12);
var ivBase64 = Encoding.toBase64(ivBytes);

// 2. Encrypt the data using a strong, authenticated encryption algorithm.
var aesGcmCipher = new Cipher();
var encryptedBase64 = aesGcmCipher.encrypt(plainText, base64Key, 'AES/GCM/NoPadding', ivBase64, 0);

// To decrypt, you need the encrypted data, the key, and the same IV.
// var decryptedText = aesGcmCipher.decrypt(encryptedBase64, base64Key, 'AES/GCM/NoPadding', ivBase64, 0);

Cryptographic Best Practices

• •

  Use Strong Algorithms: Always use AES with GCM mode for symmetric encryption, RSA with OAEP padding for asymmetric encryption, and SHA-256 or higher for hashing.

• •

  Generate Secure Random Values: Use dw.crypto.SecureRandom for generating cryptographically secure random numbers, IVs, and salts.

• •

  Proper Key Management: Store encryption keys securely using Service Credentials or encrypted custom object attributes. Never hardcode keys in source code.

• •

  Use Authenticated Encryption: Prefer AES/GCM mode which provides both confidentiality and authenticity, preventing tampering with encrypted data.

• •

  Unique IVs: Always generate a unique, random IV for each encryption operation. Never reuse IVs with the same key.

• •

  Avoid Weak Classes: Never use WeakCipher, WeakMac, WeakMessageDigest, or any other deprecated cryptographic classes.

Related Skills

• •sfcc-logging - Logging best practices including avoiding sensitive data in logs. Essential for security auditing and incident forensics.