Security problems are a part of your ecommerce business. Stores placed virtually are without any physical walls with distantly working staff, in major cases. Therefore, ecommerce is prone to cyber threats.
Investment in ecommerce security is significant and is constantly growing. Gartner estimated this growth would reach $170.4 billion by 2022. Businesses online wish to keep their customers’ data safe and often work with professionals to render complete system protection. Many PEO companies select a tech company to yield sturdier protection.
With the rise in cyber threats, online store owners have adopted the best practices to safeguard their store and online activities. Yet, cyber-attacks have become more advanced with every passing year. Remember, it is not an option but a priority! Here are some ways to secure your ecommerce store from cyber threats.
How do I protect my eCommerce business?
1. Choose a host wisely.
Ensure you choose the right host for your online store. Select a host that’s reputable, reliable, and efficient. Pick the one that offers serious security. They should promote what they do to control and manage attacks. You should know their steps of action to eliminate the risks of hacks and prevent viruses from spreading to the other sites in case of a shared server. It would help if you had a host with updated software.
2. Pick strong passwords for your website.
Though the discussion here is about creating a strong password for your website’s backend, it is essential to remember. Often while creating passwords for your websites, you need several things such as capital alphabets, numerical and symbols.
Never choose common passwords such as birthdates, anniversary dates and pet names. Keep these passwords away from you. The longer your password is, the more efficient it is.
3. Robust firewalls
Strong firewalls keep customers satisfied. A firewall may be physical or program-based. It works as a go-between between several networks. It authorizes and avoids access. It is essential with an online store because your portal will get millions of traffic. Your firewall will keep a check on the traffic and safeguard you from the inside.
4. Two-factor authentication is essential.
It is important when you plan to log in to your website’s backend. You should always have a second layer of safety along with a strong password to make your website safer. There are several alternatives for two-factor authentication. Some of these involve smartphones. A barcode or a numerical code is generated and sent to your phone. And to access the store, you need to mention the password along with the secondary code sent to your mobile phone. Because hackers and viruses don’t have this data, they will never be able to sign in to your website and damage anything.
5. Add an SSL Certificate to your online store.
To safeguard your customer’s private information, ecommerce store owners should install a Secure Socket Layer Certificate. The SSL certificate encrypts the data transmitted between your web server and your customer’s server. It boosts the overall safety of your ecommerce portal connection and avoids data breaches.
If the website URL has HTTPS instead of HTTP in the website address, it is SSL Certified. HTTPS is safe as it keeps the transaction between the server and browser coded. It facilitates a secure channel in a network, thereby helping to avoid phishing fraud and MITM attacks. It is suggested to use the SSL Certificate for your whole web store. It’s best to buy higher authenticated SSL certificate like extended validation certificate; it not only secures the data but establishes a business identity over the web. So, it is the right time to get EV SSL Certificate if you have not purchased it yet.
Tech-savvy users always look for the secure padlock sign of SSL certificate in the address bar to know if their information and financial data are secure on the ecommerce store. Such users become loyal customers after they notice that the website is secured through SSL certificate installation.
6. Educate your team
Well, keeping your ecommerce store safe involves efficient caution not just from your side but from your employee’s side too. It is essential to ensure that your employees follow the best practices to safeguard your online store. After you have set up the security standards for your website, spread the word among your employees. Discuss their role in keeping your online store secure. If you have provided access to private information to your employees, they should be responsible enough to keep it safe.
Your employees should know how to deal with sensitive information. This is majorly essential when they are dealing with customer data. The information should only be transferred via secure communication channels. Always keep in mind; your complete workforce is responsible for the safety of your ecommerce store and customers. If there is a loophole in the security, you will lose your credibility and customer’s trust. And, once that is lost, it may take years to develop it back.
7. Card Verification Value
If you look at your credit card’s backside, you will see a three-digit number. That is known as the CVV code. Always remember the PCI doesn’t let you store your CVV code with your credit card number and cardholder name. CVV is an essential security code, and unless someone has your card in their hands, they cannot check the number. Most online stores use CVV code as input to enhance their online security during the checkout process. It makes the procedure safer, more effective, and confidential.
8. Never store any confidential information.
There is always a high risk that your sensitive data may get stolen from your website if you don’t have proper safety. Hence, the best way is to avoid storing any important data on your website. In a normal sense, there is no reason to store tons of data related to your customers, such as personal information and credit card numbers, on your website. PCI standards prohibit storing such data.
Always keep a minimum of information about your customers on your website. If you have an old database, it is suggested to purge them. You may just keep the credit card details for refunds and chargebacks.
If you lack storehouses of data related to your customers, it may get inconvenient for them while checking out. However, keeping your customers slightly irritated during the checkout proceedings is suggested rather than losing them entirely if their information is stolen. Nothing will be stolen when you will not have anything to be robbed with.
Wrapping up
Cybersecurity is important to run a successful ecommerce store. With time, cyber-attackers have become more advanced and sophisticated with technology, aiming to create more damage and higher threats than before. However, this doesn’t stop you from safeguarding your website. Hence, it is important to handle all security issues related to online stores. Choose a reliable technology partner to help you handle all possible threats related to ecommerce hacking.
