The ability of internet companies to put in place efficient e-commerce security measures determines their overall health. Online shopping accounted for 24% of all frauds reported and 38% of all scams, according to Statista. Threats can originate from anywhere, and hackers can infiltrate an organization in a matter of hours. Reduce the actual risk of illegal access to the data of your business to avoid possible serious damage to your reputation and financial disruptions.
To guarantee security, businesses should use the best eCommerce development services and security procedures. It will defend against hacking attempts for both the company and the customers. The optimal strategy for eCommerce security is covered in this blog.
What Is E-commerce Security?
eCommerce companies need to follow security guidelines to safeguard customer financial information while making online purchases. Online companies need to be protected from cyberattacks in the same way that physical stores utilize security guards or cameras to prevent theft. In these situations, the main target of cybercrime is retailers.
Read more: eCommerce: The Ultimate Guide to Types, Costs & Starting Your Business!
Best Practices For E-commerce Security
Embrace Layered Protection
Increasing the number of security layers may make you feel more protected from online dangers. A global content delivery network (CDN) can be used to stop infected incoming traffic and distributed denial of service (DDoS) assaults. They use machine learning to ward off unwanted traffic.
It is possible to add another degree of security, such as Multi-Factor Authentication. The adoption of two-factor authentication is one such example. Upon logging in, users instantly receive an email or text message with instructions on what to do next. By doing this, you will make it more difficult for scammers to access the accounts of actual users because they will require credentials in addition to login credentials. However, even with two-factor authentication, hacking is still possible.
Use Closed-Source Code
The first thing you should consider when upgrading your software is whether to utilize closed-source or open-source software. Publicly collaborated software is produced by individuals working collaboratively. As the code expands, anyone can contribute to its improvement. Comparatively, closed source code is private, and only a select few people have access to it. In contrast, open-source code is accessible to all.
Although fewer individuals are looking at closed-source software, those that do have been quite selective, reducing the number of programmers and other experts working on the project will enable it to be finished faster and with fewer mistakes.
They can assist you in:
- Control the codebase's configuration.
- Keep track of who worked on what and keep the project's scope limited.
- Make sure you don't miss any issues.
- Examine the team's and the product's quality level.
Switch to HTTPS
You're opening yourself up to assault if you're still using outdated versions of HTTP. Use HTTPS if you want customers to see the green lock and the word "secured" in their browsers. HTTPS technologies protect users' sensitive information and private data.
Since HTTP protocols have largely been phased out, the majority of modern browsers will alert the user when they visit a website that could jeopardize their security. Certain browsers may prohibit users from accessing the website at all.
As Google considers HTTPS to be a ranking factor, switching to HTTPS also gives you a higher ranking on Google's search results page. Before making the update, get an SSL certificate from your host. Obtaining a current SSL certificate and converting to HTTPS is imperative if you hope to draw in a sizable number of visitors.
Secure Socket Layer Certificates
Widely used in online business, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates are issued by trusted entities. These certificates create an encrypted connection between the server and the user's web browser.
Cryptocurrency technology ensures that any information sent between the browser and the server remains private and unreadable, and the SSL certificate verifies the authenticity of the online store.
Choose A Strong Hosting
For users to be able to access and view the files on your website, you need a hosting service. Selecting a firm that can protect your eCommerce information is therefore crucial.
Make sure the hosting provider you select offers security features like malware detection, encryption, DDoS protection, and SSL certifications. Additionally, confirm that it provides backups so that in the event of a security breach, you can promptly restore your website.
Update Your Site & Plugins Regularly
The fact that maintaining the security of an online store is a continuous activity is crucial to understand. You must always be alert, frequently save your work, and make sure that all of the necessary applications, add-ons, and themes are up to date if you want to keep your online store secure.
If you plan to leave your site vulnerable to threats, patch it as soon as it is released. However, you should avoid using any unfamiliar tools since they may compromise the security of your website. Use the official WordPress installation and update pages to obtain your WordPress version, themes, and plugins.
Use Firewalls
An e-commerce site's firewall and plugins allow only authorized traffic to enter. Any other potentially dangerous links are actively blocked by the system. Controlling the data flow makes it easier to identify and thwart attempts to breach a network. For this reason, firewalls are excellent at thwarting cross-site scripting attacks, spam, and SQL breaches.
Install Malware And Antivirus Programs
Having an application or tool that can detect malware and prevent it from infecting your computers, gadgets, and online accounts is crucial. This type of bug software is also known as anti-malware software. Any malware that has managed to hide on your website should be removed by anti-malware software.
Two-Factor Authentication
When a user enters a one-time passcode (OTP), answers a security question, or uses biometric information, their login attempts are validated. According to Microsoft, MFA is quite accurate in thwarting hackers. As a result, adding multi-factor authentication (MFA) to an e-commerce platform is a great way to boost security. To enable multi-factor authentication, use a mobile app like Google Authenticator and a plugin like Wordfence Login Security.
Maintain PCI-DSS Compliance
By the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a set of principles called the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) is used to protect credit card data against data breaches. If you want to save your credit card information online, only use platforms that are PCI-compliant.
Utilize A Platform For Secure Payment Processing
Hackers have the power to destroy your business if they manage to get access to sensitive data, including credit card details, by breaching your company's security.
Your company should never keep a customer's credit card information on file. It should always ensure that its payment options are secure to prevent this from occurring. You can manage your money remotely by using a third-party solution. Online payments using Skrill, PayPal, Stripe, or Wordplay are among the most popular methods. Organize your whole store to meet the demands of Internet sales. Everything in your IT stack, including transactions, record-keeping, and workflows, ought to be 100% secure.
Select A Safe Online Shopping Platform
To route requests to the server closest to the user's location, several websites collaborate. The term "content delivery network" (CDN) describes this setup. This is an excellent option for an international shipping web store. On an eCommerce website, people can visit from all over the world and ask inquiries. However, if it takes too long for the website to load, visitors can give up. A content delivery network (CDN) can perform tasks like image scaling to expedite the loading of web pages. This is a result of the numerous media files you'll be storing.
Conclusion
To consistently prevent security issues, businesses should put in place many eCommerce-specific security regulations and procedures. For e-commerce to be successful, consumers must have faith in it, and that faith is based on how secure their transactions are. When they consciously and voluntarily give over their personal information, they expect that internet shops can store it securely. We hope you find these pointers helpful.
