[Updated 2024] Improving the Security of Your eCommerce Store

Are you an owner of an eCommerce store? If yes, then I bet you want to know more about the security of your eCommerce store.

This article will educate you about the various threats faced by eCommerce stores and how to safeguard your store from them.

E-commerce security is a set of guidelines that safeguards your website and the ongoing transactions within the website. There is a strong need to abide by these guidelines and implement the e-commerce security solutions to the fullest.

The boom of e-commerce websites over the last few years has made these platforms prone to attack by hackers. This has in turn increased the need to tighten e-commerce security fourfold. There are ample types of e-commerce security issues that we can face as an owner.

The result of such flaws can be irreparable. You will lose not only your money but also your potential customer’s trust and once your rapport is destroyed it takes a lot to get back on your feet.

eCommerce security threats

The cybersecurity of your website cannot be strengthened unless you know where the attack can come from.

So, below is a curated list of eCommerce security threats that you can face as an owner.

Financial frauds

A well-known threat to any eCommerce business comes in the form of financial fraud.

This is the foremost fraud that the eCommerce industry has been facing ever since the first one came into force. There are various financial frauds out of which credit card frauds and fake return and refund frauds top the list.

Credit card fraud occurs when your card gets stolen, and the attackers try to perform unauthorized transactions through it.

Fake return and refund frauds are caused when fake returns and refunds are filed. This has become highly common these days.

Spam

Spamming is caused when some fraudsters send links through emails and social media messages.

These links might also be present in the comment boxes of a post. Once you click on these suspicious links you are directed to their website, and you become prey to their trap.

Spamming not only causes loss of data and information but also lowers the speed of your website.

Phishing

A common security breaching technique, phishing, has been in force for a long.

Here the fraudster masquerades to be a legitimate business owner and sends emails to your business clients. They even present a masqueraded piece of your website or other such assurance that makes the client believe in their identity.

Bots

Bots are automated software applications designed to perform specific tasks.

Web crawler is one such bot, that defines the ranking of a website by crawling through all web pages.

Cybercriminals have come up with bots that take in the pricing and inventory information from your website. They further change the prices on your website, causing you a loss of revenue.

DDoS attacks

Distributed denial of service or shorthand for DDoS are attacks that have highly affected the working of large corporations as well.

Here the attacker generates continuous requests in abundance that ultimately causes a crash of your website. This attack leaves the company inoperative unless the attacker ceases. This in turn results in a huge loss of revenue and loss of clients.

Brute force attack

A common old-school technique of cracking a password is Brute Force Attack.

The attacker here is presumed to use ample combination of characters to figure out the correct password and hack into your website.

SQL injections

Your query submission forms or contact forms are the sources through which attackers get into the website.

They inject malicious queries to hack into the website’s database and further add, delete, and temper the database causing loss of information and revenue.

XSS

Cross-Site Scripting aka XSS happens when a cyber-hacker insert client side scripts into web page.

When the website owner opens the website, the scripts start running and the attackers receive your important information.

Man-in-the-middle attack

A man-in-the-middle attack means the hacker peeps into the communication link between the e-commerce website and the customer.

They grab the details like the client’s personal information. Generally, the companies that are connected through open Wi-Fi networks are prone to such attacks.

eCommerce security best practices

Since now you know the various security threats that you are prone to, it is time to make you aware of the eCommerce security solutions that can keep you safe from intruders. Let us go through the explanations,

Shift to HTTPS aka SSL certificates

HTTP and HTTPS are two browser addresses. HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP and comes into force when you install an SSL certificate to your website. This encrypts the communication link between the server and the browser and can only be deciphered using a private key. Domain validation certificates being a low-cost SSL type provide an extra layer of security to your website and cheap and affordable prices. This type of validation is easy to install and issues in few minutes.

Secure your server and admin panel

Admin panel and server can be kept secured by restricting the access of individual users to the website. They can access the admin panel to an extent. Only the owner should have complete access to the admin panel. Also, use complex passwords that cannot be guessed easily to secure your server and administration.

Payment Gateway security

Payment gateways are highly prone to attack and so should be kept secured. Instead of storing the information of individual clients, it is preferable to use a third-party source like PayPal, to look into the transaction process. They are easy to implement and are way more secure.

Antivirus and anti-malware protection

Antivirus provides security from any malicious software programs and alerts when you are installing one. It keeps viruses at the bay.

Anti-malware on the other hand detects, removes, and prevents the website from malware like Trojans, viruses, worms etc.

You should invest in such antivirus and anti-malware protection software that keeps your website secure.

Use multi-layer security features

An additional layer of security always acts as a boon to the website. Apart from implementing strong password policies, you should also use two-factor authentication.

In two-factor authentication, besides the regular username and password, an additional secret code is sent to the user via email or SMS, or their biometrics are scanned so that they get access to their account.

Strong backup options

Backing up your data at regular periods helps you to keep protected when an attack occurs.

You should take regular backups on cloud platforms as they can be accessed with ease from anywhere. You can even go for automatic backup options that will ensure regular backups in case you forget to take one. This will even save you from immense monetary loss when a ransomware attack occurs.

For seamless automatic backups, you can try leveraging Azure blob storage backup from reputable providers like Nakivo, Commvault, etc.

Stay up to date

Every software, plugin, theme, antivirus protection or anything that you will use within your website will frequently come up with new updates.

Most of these updates are designed to fix bugs and other flaws. When you don’t perform the necessary updates, you fall prey to these bugs and flaws which makes the site easily hackable. The attacker knows the loose ends and gets in with ease. Updates keep you a step ahead of these cyber criminals.

Train your staff and educate your clients

Now, this is something crucial. You cannot fight the hackers all by yourself. You need a strong team that is well-versed with such attacks and knows how to keep on their toes in case an attack occurs.

You can conduct regular training programs to encourage your staff to know where they are going wrong and what necessary security measures they need to follow. Also, once a client becomes your potential customer provide them with a necessary brochure showcasing how you will deal with them and in which cases an attacker can attack them.

Hire a professional

Apart from all these security measures, what stands strong is when a professional takes charge of the entire security issue. You can hire a professional who will regularly check the website’s smooth functioning, conduct a training program for staff and alert you before an attack occurs.

These security professionals might seem costlier at the early stage, but they are far cheaper when compared to the loss incurred by a cyberattack.

Although these measures do not offer cent percent security, they will surely make the work overwhelming for the hacker.

Final thoughts

Whether you run a small online business or own a giant platform, looking into the security of an e-commerce website is of utmost importance. It is the security level that draws hordes of customers.

Always remember that a buyer will never invest in you if he feels that his critical information like banking credentials is at stake. So, the key takeaway here is to keep your eyes open to these major security threats, implement the above best practices and always be on your toes.