Although the eCommerce industry is on the rise, several recent concerns have spurred life. From problems in deploying changes in the integrated storefront to managing user profiles and balancing load simultaneously, businesses have to deal with several challenges. However, the security issues have really shaken up the entire industry. There are several ways in which the security of the eCommerce store can be threatened. According to a post on LinkedIn, the eCommerce industry experiences approximately 32.4% of cyber attacks among all other sectors.
Therefore, it has become important for every eCommerce business to secure its websites and storefronts from different threats. In this following article, we will introduce you to some of the best security solutions for eCommerce and focus on the threats that can bring down your business in seconds.
What are some of the most concerning cyber threats for eCommerce businesses?
The first thing we will discuss here is some of the most concerning security threats for any eCommerce business, irrespective of anything else. With this, you will at least have an idea about the vulnerabilities of your storefront and what can happen if it is threatened in any of the following ways.
- Financial fraud: As the name suggests, these frauds are usually done through credit card and fake return scams. It’s hard to trace all the transactions happening at the eCommerce storefront, especially if it’s online payments. As a result, your business will suffer a huge loss if multiple orders are placed with a fake credit card.
- DDoS attacks: DDoS or distributed denial of service attacks are quite common for the eCommerce industry and also one of the most threatening issues. In this case, multiple requests are made to the server where you host the eCommerce storefront. The IP addresses are usually anonymous and can’t be traced back to their source. Due to the incoming traffic, the server crashes, and your storefront becomes inaccessible for the end users.
- Spamming: Spamming is also one of the most common security issues that eCommerce businesses encounter. It is usually a process where corrupted, or malware-infected links are sent via social media accounts and emails. Once the links are clicked, you will be directed to the spam website and get into the whirlwind of fraudulent cyber activities. Not only can it lower the overall program speed, but it also impacts performance.
- Phishing: another security threat that eCommerce stores face is phishing. Here, hackers send malicious emails and notifications to the end users in disguise as real-time store owners. It becomes easier for hackers to receive sensitive and confidential user information that they use for any malicious activity.
- SQL injection and cross-site scripting: As the eCommerce storefront is connected to the database for storing all the information and user data, it can be threatened through cross-site scripting and SQL injection. In both cases, the hackers send a JavaScript snippet from the front end, getting access to the database or the website’s backend easily.
How to protect the eCommerce business from cyberattacks?
You already know some of the major security issues the eCommerce business can suffer from. It’s time to find the best ways to protect the storefront and the business.
- Secured hosting
One of the best ways to secure the E-commerce business is through good hosting services. Most cyber-attacks are usually directed toward the hosting server where you have uploaded the E-commerce storefront. Therefore, to eliminate these risks, you must rely on a trustworthy hosting service provider. You should check whether the service provider can offer high-scale protection for the E-commerce store. For Instance, if you are hosting a WooCommerce store, you should find a secured WooCommerce hosting provider who can meet all the compliances and security protocols of the platform itself.
- SSL encryption
HTTPS means that the website is secured and cannot be hacked easily. Once you acquire the SSL certificate, you can add an extra layer of encryption on the storefront that can detect any malicious activity triggered from the front end and stop them then and there.
SSL encryption can easily resolve issues like SQL injection, cross-site scripting attacks, spam, and phishing activities. However, you must get this encryption certificate from a trustworthy service provider associated with big tech giants in the cybersecurity world.
- Double layered authentication
Introducing a double-layered user authentication system is another way to protect the eCommerce store and prevent any malicious activity. You can incorporate the authentication system in multiple ways, like a combination of password and biometric verification, password and Okta verification, and so on.
- Database security
You also need to protect your database since it is the hub of all the information your business has collected. It includes internal and external datasets like user data, transaction records, orders and warehouse records, and many more. If any hacker gets their hand over the database, it won’t take minutes for your business to plummet down to the ground. That’s why you have to choose a secured database storage solution.
- Continuous vulnerability test
One of the best ways to secure the eCommerce store is by running continuous vulnerability tests on it. As you continue to run the examinations, you will learn about the loopholes and open doors in the encryption layers protecting the storefront. Therefore, devising strategies for filling up these gaps won’t be a problem anymore, and you can resolve them on time before any mishap hits the eCommerce business.
- CDN integration
With the help of CDN or content delivery network integration, you can protect your website from DDoS attacks. CDN will help create multiple copies of the same content on your website, making it easier to identify any malicious activity true of multiple DDoS requests. You can even select a DDoS-protected VPS hosting for additional security and secure your website from many online threats.
Best software programs and plugins for eCommerce store security
There is a plethora of plugins and software programs that can offer excellent security to eCommerce storefronts. Some of them are:
- Sucuri: One of the best security software programs for eCommerce storefronts is Sucuri. It offers comprehensive security solutions, from scanning software and hardware to running audit checks on data warehouses and the architecture.
- Astra Security: Another option you can explore is Astra. It not only protects the storefront from bad traffic but also secures checkouts and malware infection.
- patchstack: If you want a tool that can increase the overall security of your eCommerce store and prevent hacking attempts, WebARX will be the best choice.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shared the most concerning security threats for our eCommerce business and the best ways to protect the storefront from hackers and several other malicious activities. Although it might sound quite difficult initially, it can become easier with appropriate strategies. Besides, you should hire a good tech team who can deal with all these security vulnerabilities on time and safeguard the eCommerce storefront.
About the Author
Artem Pavlov is a web developer and WordPress enthusiast. He creates amazing WordPress themes and useful plugins to help the community. He also manages WP Daily Themes and provides solutions for WordPress-related problems.
