Ways to Secure eCommerce Website
Discussing the different ways to secure the eCommerce website and your data online.
Why does the number of data breaches of eCommerce sites keep skyrocketing?
You must have heard about the recent security breach on the popular Magento Marketplace that affected several of the platform’s users by revealing their data to hackers. It is nothing new as data breaches like this continue to happen like normal.
Most people are unable to comprehend the gravity of the problem until it personally affects them. And hackers are getting more and more sophisticated day by day. They are evolving faster than technology.
If you look at the statistics,
So, is there a way out to secure your business website in 2020? You can’t rely only on one solution. You must take as many effective measures as possible.
9 Tips to Secure eCommerce Website
Here are 9 effective steps to help you secure your eCommerce website business.
1. Choose a secure and trusted eCommerce website platform
Security should be the main concern while choosing your eCommerce platform. But how will you know if a platform is secure? One of the surest ways to confirm the security of a platform is to check if your chosen platform supports SSL certificates as they meet the highest security requirements.
For instance, if the platform has installed a Wildcard SSL certificate, it can protect as many multiple subdomains as required. Your eCommerce should also bind to rules and regulations prescribed by PCI-DSS compliance.
Google Captcha is another feature that helps to protect or secure eCommerce websites from DDoS attacks.
2. Avoid Storing Unnecessary Data
Are you storing your customer’s sensitive data on your website? If so, you are endangering their information. If you don’t store any sensitive financial information, there will be nothing to steal.
Users re-enter their financial information while buying if they visit your site again. Or you can use the process of tokenization to create random numbers instead of sensitive information to prevent fraud.
3. Take regular backups to Secure your eCommerce website
Even if you are taking the best security measures, the chances are that your website is still not as safe as you think.
Statistics suggest that hackers attack every 39 seconds.
Thus, you should always be prepared for a post-hack in case it happens. The best way to do this is to back up and secure your eCommerce website regularly.
If your site is compromised, you can recover your website’s backup from your hosting provider and restore your website.
4. Use an HTTPS/SSL certificate to secure your eCommerce website
These days, online shoppers are becoming more informed. Thus, they will move away from a website that does not use an SSL certificate. If you look at the online shopping behavior of Americans, 58% don’t shop due to privacy concerns.
There are different types of SSL certificates, including single-domain, multi-domain, Wildcard SSL Certificates, and so on, with different features that you can use to build consumer trust.
By installing the right SSL certificate suited for your site, you can offer online shoppers confidence in their safety. Moreover, even Google confirms the use of HTTPS as a ranking signal. So, you will only be benefitted.
5. Use a web application firewall
Web Application Firewall helps to secure a web system against malware, zero-day exploits, and other threats.
Once you install a web application firewall, it can make customized inspections and prevent several treacherous web application security flaws.
Though there are different types of web application firewalls, the most used are cloud-based as they offer a low-cost solution for businesses looking for a product that needs minimal resources for execution and management.
6. Install security plug-ins to secure the eCommerce website
Do you run a large website that needs protection from every angle? WordPress security plug-ins such as Wordfence Security can deal with every issue from login security to access restriction just by making use of a single tool.
There are countless plug-ins out there that can beef up the security of your site. But whatever plug-ins you use, remember to update them as outdated versions are goldmines for hackers.
7. Change the password regularly
The most difficult passwords which are hard for hackers to crack are hard to remember for the users as well. But you can take the help of password managers to remember any number of passwords for you.
Remember that hackers are using sophisticated programs to find out passwords based on a site’s owner. A study found out that stolen or weak passwords provided fuel to 81% of hacking-related breaches. You can also two-factor authentication (2FA) for your safety.
8. Make Sure to Update your website regularly
Weak sites are a target for hackers as they can be utilized for spamming or advertising things you would otherwise never advertise on your site if it was not compromised. Thus, website coding is vital as every day new loopholes are discovered and taken care of.
Remember to update your site. If you discover a security flaw in your website software update to the patched version to ensure that your software is no longer at risk.
9. Use a content delivery network
A content delivery network can help secure your applications and even block data scrappers, DDoS attacks, and different spammers targeting your server.
CDN is also great for storing copies of your site’s content, and it can spot traces of malware. It is popularly used by those in the entertainment, media, gaming, software, and online retail industries as they have digital-rich content which they want to deliver to their audience quickly and safely.
Winding-Up
These are some of the most effective ways to secure your eCommerce website in 2020. Note that these days, most of the hacking and site breaches are committed by “bots.” So, you must be extremely careful, up-to-date, and equipped to outsmart these autonomous computer programs.
Things are changing fast in the internet security world to keep up with the tools used by hackers. Ensure that you implement the tools to safeguard your website.
Most importantly, please don’t neglect to install the SSL certificate as it will provide you with the highest form of security. Go for a Wildcard SSL certificate if you are looking to protect as many multiple subdomains as required.