Secure Data in HubSpot: What You Can and Cannot Store
Understanding how HubSpot handles information is essential if you work with customer data, financial records, or any other sensitive details. This guide explains what counts as sensitive data, what HubSpot does to secure it, and which types of information you must never store in your account.
By following these best practices, you reduce risk, support compliance efforts, and protect your customers from unnecessary exposure of their personal and financial information.
How HubSpot Protects Your Data
Before deciding what to store, it helps to know the security measures that support your use of the platform.
- Encryption in transit: Data sent between your browser and the platform is encrypted using HTTPS, reducing the risk of interception.
- Access controls: User permissions and roles let you limit who can view or edit specific data.
- Audit and logging: Activity tracking helps you review changes and detect suspicious behavior.
- Infrastructure security: The platform is hosted on hardened, monitored infrastructure designed to resist attacks.
These controls offer a strong foundation, but they do not change your obligations to avoid storing certain categories of high‑risk, regulated information.
What Counts as Sensitive Data in HubSpot
Certain data types are considered highly sensitive because they can be used to commit fraud, steal identities, or harm individuals if exposed. You should carefully evaluate any information you add to HubSpot and determine whether it falls into a restricted category.
In general, sensitive data includes information that is:
- Strictly regulated by law or industry standards.
- Directly tied to financial accounts or payment instruments.
- Deeply personal or health‑related.
- Issued by a government and used to verify identity.
Your legal and compliance teams are the final authority on what your organization can store. The sections below highlight common restricted categories to avoid.
Financial Data You Must Not Store in HubSpot
Financial details are heavily regulated and can be extremely damaging if leaked. You should never store full payment or banking data within any HubSpot records, properties, notes, or attachments.
Examples of Prohibited Financial Data in HubSpot
- Full credit card numbers (PAN), including those printed on cards.
- Card verification values (CVV or CVC) and PIN codes.
- Magnetic stripe or chip data from payment cards.
- Complete bank account numbers or routing numbers used for payments.
- Electronic payment credentials such as stored tokenized card details tied to live accounts.
Even partial storage can be risky. If you must reference a transaction, work with your payment processor to use their secure portals and redacted identifiers instead of saving those details inside your CRM or other tools.
Government ID Data You Should Not Store in HubSpot
Government identification numbers are prime targets for identity theft. For this reason, they should not be collected or stored in contact records, tickets, deals, or files stored in the platform.
Examples of Restricted Government Identifiers
- Social Security numbers or national insurance numbers.
- Passport numbers and full passport scans.
- Driver’s license numbers and full license images.
- National ID card numbers, images, or scans.
- Residence permit or visa numbers used to verify identity.
If your business processes this kind of information, it should remain in specialized, compliant systems that are built to handle such data securely.
Health and Medical Data in HubSpot
Health information is among the most sensitive types of data and is usually subject to strict privacy laws. The platform is not intended to function as an electronic health record system or medical data repository.
Health Data You Should Avoid Storing
- Medical records, test results, or diagnostic reports.
- Information about a person’s physical or mental health conditions.
- Treatment plans, prescriptions, or clinical notes.
- Insurance member IDs or claim details tied to medical services.
- Any data defined as protected health information under applicable law.
Use dedicated, compliant healthcare tools for medical information and keep only minimal, non‑sensitive context in your CRM when necessary for sales or support workflows.
Other High‑Risk Personal Data and HubSpot
Beyond financial, government ID, and health information, other personal details can also be sensitive depending on context.
Examples of Data That May Require Extra Caution
- Biometric identifiers such as fingerprints, facial scans, or voiceprints.
- Authentication secrets like passwords, security question answers, or recovery codes.
- Confidential legal documents and evidence files.
- Highly sensitive personal characteristics that may be protected by law.
Where possible, store such material in systems specifically designed for secure document management and access control, then reference only high‑level information in your HubSpot records.
Best Practices for Using HubSpot Securely
Even when you avoid prohibited data types, you still need strong day‑to‑day security habits. Implement the following practices for everyone who uses your account.
Account Security Best Practices
- Enable two‑factor authentication for every user account to reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
- Use strong, unique passwords managed through a reputable password manager instead of reusing credentials.
- Apply the principle of least privilege by granting users only the permissions they need to perform their work.
- Review access regularly and remove or downgrade accounts for users who change roles or leave your organization.
- Monitor suspicious activity by watching for unexpected logins, data exports, or permission changes.
Data Management Best Practices in HubSpot
- Audit existing records to identify any fields or notes that contain restricted information and remove or anonymize it.
- Create safe custom properties that capture only the minimum details necessary to support your processes.
- Train your team to recognize sensitive data and understand what must never be entered into contact, company, or ticket records.
- Limit file uploads that include personal or financial documents and store them in dedicated secure repositories instead.
- Define retention policies so that you are not keeping old or unnecessary data longer than needed.
Compliance Considerations When Using HubSpot
Your organization’s legal and compliance teams should evaluate how you use the platform, especially if you operate in regulated industries or handle data from multiple regions.
Consider the following actions to support compliance:
- Map data flows to understand what enters your CRM, how it is used, and where it is shared.
- Classify information so that employees know which fields are considered sensitive, confidential, or public.
- Document policies that clearly state what may and may not be entered into the system.
- Coordinate with external tools and integrations to ensure they follow similar standards.
For the full official guidance on sensitive information, always refer to the platform’s own documentation at this support article.
Improving Your Overall Data Strategy Beyond HubSpot
Managing sensitive information effectively is a cross‑platform responsibility. You should design a coherent data strategy that covers your CRM, marketing tools, support systems, and any specialized applications that store regulated data.
If you need help aligning your use of HubSpot with broader privacy and security goals, you can consult experienced implementation partners. For example, Consultevo offers guidance on configuration, process design, and risk‑aware adoption of CRM tools.
By combining clear policies, strong technical controls, and ongoing training, you can make full use of your CRM while keeping sensitive information out of high‑risk locations.
Key Takeaways for Safe Use of HubSpot
- Do not store full payment card, banking, or authentication details inside your CRM.
- Avoid saving government IDs, medical records, or biometric identifiers in contact or company records.
- Rely on specialized, compliant systems for highly regulated data, and only maintain minimal context in your CRM.
- Use strong account security practices, including two‑factor authentication and role‑based permissions.
- Work closely with legal and compliance teams to define what is acceptable to store and keep your policies up to date.
Following these guidelines lets you benefit from powerful sales, marketing, and service tools while minimizing the risk associated with sensitive data and supporting your organization’s security and compliance objectives.
Need Help With Hubspot?
If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Hubspot , work with ConsultEvo, a team who has a decade of Hubspot experience.
“`
