A Comprehensive Guide To eCommerce Website Security In 2020 - CSSChopper

A Comprehensive Guide To eCommerce Website Security In 2020

Every year online businesses lose a hefty amount of money by not implementing ​eCommerce website​ security features effectively to safeguard their websites from hacking and fraudulent activities. Today, online frauds and other cybersecurity menace have come out as the major e-commerce security challenges for every online business. As per a prediction by the Cybercrime Magazine, the retail industry will be one of the ​top 10 most attacked industries from 2019-2022. Right from the eCommerce website development phase, businesses are needed to plan for impregnable and robust security measures to ensure the ultimate security of their online stores.

What are the Biggest Threats to eCommerce Websites?

The importance of eCommerce security can be recognized by increasing hacking incidents and malicious attacks going around the world. If you are not putting proper protective measures for your website, you are going to put everything on stake. There are numerous security threats that eCommerce businesses face.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Cross-site scripting is a fraudulent activity that involves inserting some malicious code (often JavaScript) into a webpage. As opposed to other types of malicious attacks, cross-site scripting doesn’t affect the website itself, but it endangers the users of the webpage who are then exposed to malware or phishing attempts.

The practices to follow to safeguard your site from XSS attack: ● Use a potent website scanner to detect any security vulnerabilities. ● Ensure that server and site modules are updated.

SQL Injections Your website security is at stake if you store users’ data insecurely in SQL. When your website asks users to provide information like in forms and if the information entered by the user is not properly validated it may cause an SQL Injection attack. In this scenario, an attacker will not only be able to view sensitive user information but the attacker can also manipulate the database.

When it comes to eCommerce web development there are different stages like front-end development, back-end development, and more. The back-end development is the phase when you choose database technologies and create a database. You need to choose the right technologies and implement strong measures for protecting sensitive user data. Checking your website regularly for any vulnerabilities can help you fight against threats like SQL Injections.

You also need to integrate the best security features to ensure eCommerce data security.

Brute Force Attack A brute force attack is a constant attempt to try different combinations of passwords or passphrases until it’s cracked down. This kind of attack works on the guesswork where an attacker starts with a guess and tries different combinations until the password is cracked.

Unless there are proper security measures in eCommerce websites, brute force attacks cannot be avoided. The ​best eCommerce development company​ can help you create a robust and highly secured online store.

The practices to follow for preventing brute force attacks: ● You need to create very strong passwords for your site’s admin access that include both small and capital letters, special characters, and numbers. Also, make sure to create a lengthy password that is hard to predict. ● You can add an additional layer of protection by utilizing two-factor authentication. ● Challenge visitors to your page by offering captcha or any other similar tool.

● Make a habit of changing passwords at least every 3 months. Also, you need to change your password immediately after the completion of any work on your site by an outside contractor.

Ransomware and Other Malware One of the major eCommerce security issues includes the attack of ransomware or other malware. Ransomware is a kind of malware that locks users out of their systems, so the users cannot access any data or file on their systems. In the case of an eCommerce website, the server or the network can get infected with ransomware or any other malware that not only prevents access to the website or data but also compromises sensitive information with hackers.

With the help of the best eCommerce website development company, you can integrate advanced security measures to protect your website against ransomware and other malware threats. If you have any query in your mind like “​How do I build an eCommerce website​ with better security features?” You can discuss them with your service provider and they can suggest the best measures and practices for tightening the security of your website.

DoS and DDoS Attack Both DoS and DDoS attacks are aimed at pushing down your website. DoS that stands for Denial-of-Service is an attempt to stop normal access to your online store by flooding the website with overwhelming amounts of junk traffic. It means it is an attempt to disrupt your network or server by flooding it with excessive traffic. DDoS that stands for Distributed-DoS-Attack occurs when the same activity is done from multiple devices. With some special server configuration, DDoS attacks can be suppressed.

What are the Best Practices to Tighten the Security of your eCommerce website?

Once when you have an idea of developing an online store of your own, the first question that would stick to your mind is “What is the best website builder for eCommerce?”. Throughout the journey of developing your website, you will encounter tons of questions and challenges.

But the most important point will be how to secure your site to prevent any kind of malicious activity on your site. So, here are the top practices for cybersecurity in eCommerce that you can follow to immunize your site from different types of eCommerce cyber attacks.

Ensure PCI DSS Compliance PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard which is an information standard applied to organizations that deal with branded credit cards from significant card schemes. PCI DSS compliance is essential for any merchant or organization that accepts, stores, or transmits data of cardholders irrespective of the number and size of transactions. You can ensure data security by complying with the PCI DSS standard.

Using a third-party Payment Processing System for Removing Customer’s Data One of the key protective measures for ensuring the safety of customers’ financial data from hacking is by removing their financial details and deploying a third-party payment gateway to handle such data on your behalf. At the time of eCommerce website development services, you can choose a suitable payment gateway that is compatible with your site. Some reputed third-party payment gateway includes PayPal, Sage Pay, Stripe, Amazon Pay, and Skrill.

Remove Default Passwords from your Website As soon as you have installed a new module or your eCommerce shopping cart, you need to reset the default password(s) created at the time of installation. Keeping the default passwords is quite risky as they are usually very common that can be guessed easily which might be the reason for the brute force attack on your site.

Utilize Monitoring Software to Track Changes in Core Files Besides the need for eCommerce security, you also need to understand that regular monitoring of your website’s core files can be a good hedge against cyber threats. By checking the core files, you can track any changes and detect security issues before they become severe.

Regular Backup of Website Data is Important

When it comes to website security, backups can be the real lifesaver. By taking regular backups of your website data, you can not only ensure data protection but also you can easily rebuild the resource in case of any hacking attack or technical glitch.

Wrapping Up The world of the internet is not a fully secure place, so having strong security measures for your eCommerce website is a must to provide a safer and reliable shopping experience to your customers. When it comes to eCommerce website development services, it is the right phase to plan for possible protection measures and lay down a powerful foundation for your website.

Besides preventive measures, there must also be ways for eCommerce security management and redressal of customer grievances regarding their data safety.