As the world becomes more connected, bridging every gap, businesses stand increasingly at risk. According to a report by Shape Security, the “majority of the users logging into e-commerce websites are hackers stealing important data”?
Any business can fall prey to hackers, from small businesses to enterprises.
Is Your E-commerce Website at Risk of These Threats?
Online stores or websites are prone to provide unwanted and illegal access to payment information, free items, and, most importantly, customer contact details. It is not only the breach of security parameters but promises too that a business makes to customers. A promise is to keep the details safe from the third party. Here are some popular threats the security breach may lead to:
- Hackers using someone else’s account details to process a payment
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) prevents users from accessing the website and blocks website traffic.
- Hackers use outdated codes, security misconfigurations, and database weaknesses to access essential and private information.
- Like physical skimmers that steal data from gas stations and ATMs, e-skimming soft on websites holds complete details of users. Hackers can easily access this.
These are primary threats bridging the security code of conduct may lead to. It is equally threatening for both businesses and customers.
How To Secure Your E-Commerce Website?
The best option for e-commerce business owners is VPS- Virtual Private Server. Apart from providing customised security options, it ensures scalable performance at reasonable costs.
If you are unemployed and thinking of take out guaranteed loans for unemployed to ensure the best security for your website, then this blog will help you. From online transactions to customer data, you need to ensure overall security and here is how you can do so:
1) Switch to HTTPS+SSL
Using secure HTTPS hosting along with an authentic SSL certificate is crucial for your website’s security. SSL stands for Security Socket Layer.
It means no other person can interrupt data between the website and the visitor. Adding an SSL to a website strengthens the security and generates trust among the users.
Not having an SSL can make you lose 1000s of customers and sales. However, Google considers and prioritises websites with SSL and HTTPS over one that lacks them. It has become mandatory to have one lacking that Google marks unsecured for users.
2) Use the right E-commerce platform
There is a multitude of eCommerce platforms. Before investing in a platform, ensure that it offers advanced security features apart from aligning with your business requirements.
Website creation and development platforms like WordPress, Magento and Shopify are famous for their advanced features. However, this security requires updates after a specific time. Apart from the technical partner, you have to know the details of updates and keep a tab on security parameters. The best option is to use a comprehensive e-commerce security solution that, in addition to detecting vulnerabilities, also ensures an updated security version.
3) Enhance user/viewers’ security
Users entering the same passwords, again and again, to access your website or buy a product can be threatening. The primary responsibility of the business owner here is to remind the customers about changing their passwords weekly or monthly.
Hackers find it challenging to access data if the passwords are changed continuously. Moreover, advise your customers to use strong passwords using characters, uppercase and lowercase alphabets to ensure a great user experience and a safe purchase.
4) Data storage security
It is one of the common mistakes the website owners commit. Storing personal data like cards and contact details is sensitive to hacking. In case of compromisation, the customer data will be sabotaged. It is a nightmare. You will want it the least to happen. Here businesses can use tokenization. It is a way of having false data vulnerable to hacking than storing real customer data. The method also helps prevent credit card fraud.
5) Update your website
Hackers are always up for searching for ways to hack the site. Most vulnerable sites often fall prey to it. Web developers too continuously look for enhanced code to minimalize the scope of hacking. However, one does not remember updating the website now and then, which leads to hacking. You can still prepare your website in advance for a reduced impact:
- Check for core platform updates. It helps improve overall security. You can either check these regularly or set an automatic alert for deployments.
- Delete all unused themes and update themes regularly. Hackers may exploit out-of-date themes and gain access.
- Plugins and third-party integrations are a primary source for getting hacked. It provides access to confidential data easily. Begin from the smallest plugin and update it until you cover it all.
These minor updates play a crucial role in preventing your website from hackers. Thus, be mindful of these while updating your website.
6) Frame Manual policies and procedures
Never underestimate the importance of manually-crafted policies. It makes it evident that you prioritise customers’ safety and preferences over the business. It takes a few hours but goes a long way in building life-long customer-business relationships.
You need to find the right solution for your circumstances.
But you can extend these things to password and physical security policies. Check whether you have any stolen laptops? If yes, then hackers may use these to access the company data. Align your policies with your business goals and ensure the security of your website and customers.
7) Ensure Multi-layered security
There is no magic bullet that can help ensure the 100% security of your website. Thus, it is pivotal to ensure multiple security layers. Here is how you can have multi-layered security for your website:
- Use a firewall- You can use a physical or a web application fireball, depending on the budget. Check out doorstep loans for unemployed to get quick monetary assistance. As a minimum, these offer the first line of defence against hackers, such as cross-site scripting.
- Having a well-defined CDN (Content Delivery Network) – It is a geographically-dispersed set of servers that store copies of the website’s pages. It learns to recognize malicious impact traffic to prevent your site from harmful exposure.
8) Create a backup of the data
Imagine waking up and exposing to the news of a website hack.
It is worse than a nightmare.
But what if you can safeguard your site by acting in advance?
Multiple errors and carelessness may lead to data loss. Like -hardware issues or simply human error.
Backups help create duplicates.
Neither the hosting company nor your employees are responsible for ensuring data security and backup-but you. Act quickly and ensure automatic data backup. It will help ensure data backup while you sleep peacefully. For safety, it is ideal for backing up the data daily. Online stores update with each sale. Make sure your data is safe and fresh. Update the revenue figures often.
9) Integrate PCI DSS compliance
PCI DSS is mandatory integration that all online businesses must have to secure customers’ online transactions. It helps protect credit card data and prevents payment theft and unauthorized use. The online world is susceptible to online hackers.
Businesses should take a step ahead to keep hackers at bay and ensure a safe and smooth product purchase experience. Merchants enforce it along with acquiring banks processing credit card payments. PCI guidelines require adhering to 12 guidelines. To ensure and make your website secure, consider partnering with payment gateways like Worldpay, EVO and Bancard.
10) Ensure security of admin area
One of the simplest ways to ensure the site’s security is by changing the admin area. It is essential if you have a website on Magento or Woo Commerce platforms. Make your login credentials challenging and difficult to crack by hackers. You can restrict access to the area by upholding a “whitelist” of IP addresses. In this way, you can protect the security of the website.
These are some popular ways of restricting the hacker’s access to an e-commerce website and retaining the trust of your credible customers.
