Do you have enough security to protect your Ecommerce website? This question must be thought about nowadays as we constantly hear about website hacking or stealing confidential information from an Ecommerce website. Hacking and fraud are becoming a critical problem for Ecommerce websites from both the user and business points of view.
In this technological era, most people prefer to do online shopping and if the Ecommerce website is not secured from hacking and fraud then the business and the shopper may have to pay a high price in terms of the stealing of confidential information and loss of customers. Hence, the question is how do you secure your Ecommerce website?
I have gathered 10 security tips for Ecommerce stores that can save your customers from being victims of a cyber attack.
#1. Keep Data Encrypted
Data that flows between a company’s web server and the customer’s website should have encryption to avoid eavesdropping or a phishing attack. For this, an SSL (secure socket layer) certificate is the best option that reassures customers about their online transactions. A secured SSL site seal on a website is a sign of an authenticated website. Currently many corporates and search engines have started to adopt an SSL certificate on their websites for their customer’s security. It helps to lessen fraudulent purchases and keeps financial information secure over the website.
#2. Don’t store confidential data
It is very risky to keep too much of a customer’s confidential information on a server that can possibly intice an attacker to steal such sensitive information. Each Ecommerce website should just use minimum information for current use and no more than that. Mainly because this type of information is prohibited to be stored – specifically credit card information, expiration dates etc., according to the PCI security standard council. Besides this, there are certain penalties for merchants if they infringe any security guidelines.
#3. Instruct the customers to keep passwords long
- Customers should not share their password with anyone.
- Longer passwords are harder to break so keep the password long.
- Notify customers to change their password every 15 days or monthly.
- To create a password, always use a mixture of numeric numbers, small alphabets, capital alphabets, and special characters.
#4. Set up a System Alert
If any person seems suspicious during their online transactions, then merchants should have an “alert system” to identify such transactions. For example, a person places multiple orders with different addresses, credit cards, phone numbers etc. If a multiple order request is coming from the same IP, it should be traced and the server administration informed. Always check that the order recipient name is matched with a credit card or debit card to avoid suspicious transactions.
#5. Use Firewall Security
There are many Trojans and virus attacks that can be avoided with a Firewall. A firewall is a kind of layer of your network that alerts you whenever any suspicious events occur on your server. To avoid SQL injection and cross-site Scripting attack, online merchants should have an extra layer of security to a customer’s login page, contact forms, and search queries. Firewalls monitor traffic coming onto the server and you can set a predefine access control list to allow only consented communication.
#6. Educate Your Employees
As an owner of an Ecommerce website, you should provide education about online theft and security measures to your employees. Generally, employees access many websites without awareness of web security precautions and can become a victim of cyber attack. With proper education on laws and policies related to customer security, you can prevent a possible cyber attack. If it is necessary, then make a security protocol and policy that educate employees about customer online security.
#7. Check your Website Regularly
You should monitor your website regularly. There are many tools available on websites that monitor your traffic activity and will give you an alert whenever any suspicious behavior is found so that you can take immediate steps to prevent it. Even check the server of your hosting provider for any malware or harmful software. Always scan your website once a day to prevent a virus or malware entering your website.
#8. Keep your system updated
To avoid being a cyber victim, software companies frequently release the latest versions that also fix bugs in software, and provide smooth functionality. Whenever an update is available to your system just update it’s patch because cyber criminals always take advantage of those software or systems that are not updated regularly. Whether you use Zen Cart, Xcart, or OsCommerce, it should be patched regularly.
#9. Regularly back up your Data
Data backup is an essential task of the company or any hired hosting service. If you have a hosting company that is looking after your data back-up, then make sure your hosting service is performing it on a regular basis. It is sensible to take a back up of your important data otherwise. However, many companies ignore data backup tasks and in the case of power outage, hard drive failure or virus attack they lose their data.
#10. Other Recommendations
In addition to the above security measures, Ecommerce merchants should follow the steps below to prevent attacks:
- Consider security alerts issued by card brands and keep updated with emerging threats.
- Keep an additional firewall between the application server and the database server to minimize the risk from the online web server.
- Once the account number of customers is confirmed then do not show the whole number back to the customer in order review.
Conclusion
Customers now prefer security first, and if your Ecommerce website is lacking security measures, then you may say good-bye to your business revenue. From the above security measures, you can ensure your customers by protecting the ecommerce website with robust security. It is essential to protect your ecommerce website not just for potential revenue but for the sake of your customers.
Images: ”abstract address line, E-commerce (done in 3d) / Shutterstock.com“
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