Security Tips for ECommerce Websites/ECommerce Website

As the year progresses amidst the pandemic, with not much relief, businesses have understood that eCommerce is the only way forward. With the boom in online business platforms, even the slightest security lapse on digital platforms doesn’t go unpunished by hackers. With the ever-increasing competition in the market and cyberattacks against eCommerce platforms becoming more complex, there is a lot of pressure and anxiety among the eCommerce players. Educating yourself and incorporating the security tips for eCommerce websites for your brand or business is the much-needed requisite of the time.

On the one hand, a lot needs to be done to sustain and grow the businesses, and on the other hand, there are cyber threats that you have to shield against. And, yes, if you are an eCommerce platform owner, your fear is not unfounded; after all, so much is at stake, consumer trust, brand reputation, and not to forget financial costs, including litigation fees. According to Magneto Solutions, 29% of the website traffic has malicious intentions to attack you. (Source: https://magnetoitsolutions.com/infographic/ecommerce-security ) It becomes imperative for you to pay utmost attention to raise your web security levels and follow these simple yet most effective security tips for eCommerce websites.

Work With A Trusted eCommerce Platform.

Bring your online store to life by launching a good and trusted eCommerce platform as it plays a crucial role in running a successful online business. You must find out if the eCommerce platform you choose has the best security measures in place, in addition to providing easy checkouts with third-party payment gateways. Features like social integration and lead capture tools are standard features with the best eCommerce service providers. 

But, you must choose the one which puts the most emphasis on the security of its subscribers. Work with the one that has the most thorough security plan in place. Your eCommerce website should be continuously monitored for any security issues by the eCommerce service provider. It should have an effective and proactive security solution strategy to tackle any security lapse before turning into a significant security threat.

Get the right web hosting.

When choosing a hosting provider, do some research on their security features and reliability. A good hosting provider these days provides SSL /TLS Security as a standard part of your plan. Check for security features like spam filters, email protection, regular scans, and automatic updates and backups, protection against distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, and last but not least; it should provide a stable service to its subscribers.

Use Proxy Firewall Protection

Proxy Firewall or Application Firewall provides security to network resources by filtering any incoming malicious traffic at the application layer. Any malicious requests from bots can be detected here and can be quickly blocked. The Proxy Firewall works by using a proxy server that connects with the server on behalf of the user, thus keeping your network concealed and protected. Attacks like SQL injections and several other attacks that spread through malware can be checked using this type of firewall.

Regularly update your site & software.

Always keep track of the latest updates and versions of all the software released and apply the security patches available. Hackers use automated bots to scan through the internet, looking for vulnerabilities in the websites. ECommerce websites that don’t have updates applied are among the first ones to fall prey to cybercrimes. Keeping your website, back-end software, malware, anti-virus software, plug-ins, and applications updated protects you against the vulnerabilities you would be exposed to due to any security lapses in the previous versions.

Provide Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Security Certificate

Securing your eCommerce platform with an SSL Certificate should be on the top of your list. Buy SSL Certificate security to encrypt all the communication between the user’s browser and the web server, safeguarding it against any intended data breach by hackers and preventing cyberattacks like Man- In- The- Middle Attacks. The SSL secured website changes its protocol from HTTP to HTTPS, which appears before the URL of the eCommerce website in the address bar. A visual symbol of trust, a padlock, is also added before the URL of the website, instilling confidence in your customers that their sensitive data shared with the eCommerce website is safe. So, SSL certificate security adds to your brand’s reputation. Many reputed SSL Certificate providers offer an array of choices in SSL Certificates like EV SSL certificates, providing the right balance between all your security needs and budget requirements. An EV SSL certificate will offer the highest validation level to your organization’s website post-issuance and makes for a premium choice. 

Get Your Business Name and Logo Trademarked

Protect your business from frauds and copiers that can inflict heavy financial and reputational damage by stealing your business name, copying your products, or using your logo to cash in your success. So, one of the most important and essential tips to secure your business is to trademark your company’s name, logo, and any of your products that can be copied so that no competitor can use them.

Put into practice Strong Password Rules

Make strict password rules so that your customers and employees adhere to using strong passwords according to password rules set by you which should be a mix of upper and lower case alphabets, special characters, and numbers. Passwords should be long and randomly generated. Weak passwords only make your sensitive data prone to an easy breach by hackers, which might use a brute attack to crack weak passwords. It is even better to provide an extra layer of security by a two-layer authentication which could be, say, a code sent as a message to your phones.

Do Not Store Customer’s Financial Data

Never store customer’s financial information like credit card details on the website. Instead, you can partner with third-party payment companies like PayPal, GooglePay, and many more such partners with the right technology to handle any attack. This will save you from any fat litigation expenses in case of any data breach.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can say that you can not just afford to ignore or mismanage your eCommerce website security as the stakes associated with any data breach directly affect your business’s financial health and reputation. You can alleviate the severe damages caused by any data breach by proactively working on your security strategies’ weaknesses. So, starting from incorporating the SSL security for your eCommerce platform, together with the simple and effective security practices mentioned above,  you will be able to take your eCommerce website to a new zenith of success.