In today’s day and age, e-commerce is king. Businesses in thousands of different industries and from all around the world rely very heavily on e-commerce for their operation, which makes their website of the utmost importance.
This e-commerce website is, essentially, a shop owner’s shop or a factory, so it is absolutely vital that steps are taken to safeguard this website. This is particularly true with so many threats and cyber risks, but fortunately, there are a number of ways to protect your e-commerce website, as well as your customers and their data.
Platform & Connection
To protect your site from cyber attacks, you first need to ensure that you are using a secure platform and that you are using a secure connection for online checkout. It is recommended that the platform uses an object-orientated programming language, whilst the checkout must use strong SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) authentication. Additionally, you should never store sensitive data (particularly credit card numbers, expiration dates and CW2 codes). This is the equivalent of not leaving cash in the register – if there is nothing to steal, you cannot be robbed.
Verification and Passwords
Boosting security is an excellent way to protect your e-commerce website. Address verification (AVS) and card verification value (CW) can protect card transactions, whilst requiring your users to create complex passwords will help your customers to protect themselves on the back-end.
Layered Security and System Alerts
Laying your security can give you multiple lines of defence against cybercriminals. Firewalls are crucial, but you can also add additional layers to the website and applications. You can also set up alarms for suspicious activity; these can be for multiple transactions coming through one IP address and multiple orders by one person using different information than the billing address.
Perform Regular Scans
Advanced penetration testing (pen tests) can identify and quantify cyber risk. When you use a third-party, with Nettitude being one reputable company, they can carry out advanced and regular pen tests. This will include cyber security testing, PCI services and security assurance. In addition to identifying risk, this can also give you complete peace of mind.
These are the key steps to protect your e-commerce website from cyber threats. It is unfortunate, but hacking and fraud are extremely prevalent on e-commerce, so it is vital for all businesses (big and small) to make sure that you are not an easy target. Armed with these tips, you will be able to protect not only your business, but also your customers and their private data.
