Wondering which are the ecommerce security best practices? Well, in this article, I will be discussing ten of them.
Thanks to the reach of the internet today, ecommerce is one the most booming markets. We can practically get ANYTHING online these days from a wide array of websites. But contrary to popular belief, making a website is easier than you think. Some websites help you make your website. However, setting up a website isn’t the challenge we’re going to talk about.
This article is about protecting your site. Setting up an ecommerce site is accessible in these times, but the actual task is keeping your website safe from attacks, hackers, and frauds. This can not only be disastrous if ignored but could very well be the end of your business online. While online shopping offers enormous potential, it does come with its share of threats.
Today, especially after the global pandemic, people prefer to shop online, but that doesn’t mean your website will be successful. If the users feel that the website is not entirely safe and secure from fraud and hacks, they leave for your competitor or a much more secure website. Customers want their data safe, and they will not hesitate to go somewhere else.
It’s no surprise that these days we often hear about several cases of many website hacking and data theft. It has evolved to become a critical problem for ecommerce websites and customers. So the question arises, how to protect your site and strengthen your ecommerce website’s security?
Here are the top ten ecommerce site security best practices:
Keep Your Website Up-to-Date
The first step towards building the security of your website is to ensure that your site’s software is updated with the latest security patches. To avoid being a cyber victim, software companies frequently release the latest versions of software or updates that not only fix existing bugs, if any but also provide smooth functionality.
Related: How to Make Website Trustworthy?
Keeping your system updated regularly prevents cyber-attacks as attackers take advantage of outdated software to gain access, leading to data breaches. This is one of the most-used ecommerce security best practices.
Use SSL Certificates
SSL is short for a secure socket layer. It is an encryption protocol, which takes sessions between clients and servers, and secures them from the attackers or hackers who may be illegally trying to intercept it and get in. This makes it difficult or near impossible for unwanted entities to recover any meaningful data from the incoming traffic, giving a safe browsing experience for not just you but for your users as well.
An SSL certificate forms a link between the server and your user’s browser. The whole process is secured behind the scene without upsetting the browsing experience of the users. There are other paybacks to be gained from SSL certificates as well by giving your website credibility. Often, customers may not enter websites that don’t have the lock icon before the website’s address link and if the HTTPS application protocol is missing.
Related: What is an SSL Certificate and Why Do You Need It?
They usually are presented with an “insecure” warning message by the browser. However, this scenario will not arise by employing an SSL certificate, and the user can trust your website. But this works for just one site, but what about multiple subdomains of your ecommerce business? The fact is that if you have numerous subdomains under one primary domain, simply having one SSL certificate won’t do the job.
In such a case, you need a wildcard SSL certificate. A wildcard certificate is a sole certificate with a wildcard character in the domain name field, which allows the certificate to secure multiple first-level sub-domain names under a chosen primary domain. Wildcard SSL certificate will enable you to secure websites that have multiple first-level sub-domains.
Related: Free SSL Certificate Generators
Avoid Storing Data On Your Site
It’s a good practice if you don’t store a big scale of customer’s trusted data on a server as it can draw attackers to it, and they might steal that precious customer information. Never store any sensitive data such as bank information, credit card details, financial material, debit card details, and other confidential facts.
Related: Importance of Cloud Storage For Digital Marketers
When an attacker tries to gain access to a website, it’s such sensitive information they’re after and if you have all of this information on your site, you’ve just handed them precisely what they’re after. Therefore, never save any critical data on your site.
Related: Data Security Tips For Businesses To Follow
Use Strong Passwords
A lot of ecommerce businesses are susceptible to attacks by password hacking, and it’s a significant issue. Passwords that are very basic and weak can easily be cracked. A weak password makes it easier for hackers to access the users’ e-commerce account, leading to fraudulent purchases.
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To avoid such situations, passwords should be strong and complex, like a combination of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. It would help if you also encouraged your users to change their passwords frequently. Apply this ecommerce security best practice to see the difference.
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Secure Your Site Platform
Building your website is one thing; hosting it is a whole different ball game. You have to go with a platform that gives your site the most security without compromising the reach. Do thorough research on various platforms and take a calculated decision without compromising on the security, of course.
Related: Best Website Builders
Use Firewall
Some numerous viruses and trojans can be disastrous for your website. But these can easily be avoided with a Firewall. What’s a firewall? It is a kind of additional level of your network that warns you whenever any suspicious actions transpire on your server. Firewalls screen traffic that comes to the server, and you can fix a predefined access control list to permit only those communications that are approved.
Regularly Check Your Website
Another step you can take to ensure the security of your website is to monitor it frequently. There are many tools available on the net that you can use to monitor the traffic activity, alerting you when any suspicious activity is found for you to take immediate steps to prevent it. It’s also one of the top ecommerce security best practices to scan your website at least once a day to stop a virus or malware from entering your website.
Related: Ways Website Usability Affects Business Growth
Educate Your Staff
As an ecommerce business owner, you must educate your employees about the importance of security. Typically, they open various websites without knowing the hazards of hackers, which could lead to a cyber-attack. It is your responsibility to educate them to be careful about confidential information in chats or emails as these mediums are not safe and secure. Put a proper protocol in place to help them be safe when dealing with customers online. For instance, if your business are using in-demand security apps like Top rated VPN or latest antivirus software. You should aware your staff on how to use this and why it’s so important to your business.
Related: Ecommerce Security: Threats And Solutions
Obey And Comply With The PCI Regulations
If your business accepts credit and debit cards payment online or offline, then you must comply with the rules laid out by the PCI security standard council. Not doing so would be a serious security threat and would invite cases of financial fraud and disputed payments.
Additionally, suppose your business does not follow the rules and regulations of the PCI security standard council. In that case, you’re not only leaving your users’ sensitive information vulnerable, but you may face hefty fines as well.
Related: Best Ways to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment
Have An Early Warning System In Place
There are always people trying to do fraud online; hence it becomes essential to set up a system alert that notifies you when they seem suspicious during their online transactions. These systems work like an early warning system before fraud happens and allows you to take pre-emptive measures to avoid it. Also, as one of the important ecommerce security best practices, you should always check that the order recipient’s name and details match with a credit card or debit card to prevent fraudulent transactions.
Related: Top Ecommerce Statistics
In conclusion, living in today’s digital age requires technology-based tools to protect and combat attacks. The fact is that technology is rapidly evolving, and unfortunately, so are the threats.
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When everything and everyone is online, the world has become a smaller place. But we have to accept that building trust online is a critical task, and it begins with strengthening our security and the safety of our users. Sure the demand for the e-commerce industry is bright and booming, with people preferring to shop online rather than go out. But it is your responsibility as an online business owner to add crucial security measures that enhance your customer’s experience.
