Overview
Security breaches, cyberattacks, and e-commerce fraud have been increasing rapidly. Though organizations are moving into a secure environment prioritizing security, breaches and frauds are still trending. There is a plethora of online platforms available to design a website. So, setting up an e-commerce website might be easy but safeguarding the website is what matters most. Irrespective of the online business, each e-commerce owner dreams to be successful and their biggest nightmare is a security breach. It can be prevented and sometimes the less prioritized things might be the key elements to secure your business from online frauds. Here is how you can secure your e-commerce business.
Best strategies to protect e-commerce from frauds:
Implement SSL certificate
For any e-commerce site, securing the user’s data like bank details, passwords, etc. is a must. So, implementing an SSL certificate is the obvious choice as it is an essential factor to encrypt user’s data. Normally, an e-commerce website might have multiple subdomains and buying an SSL certificate for each subdomain is quite a hassle. With a wildcard SSL/TLS certificate, every subdomain can be secured with a single certificate. There are many Cheap wildcard SSL certificate providers in the SSL industry who thrive to give their best with strong encryption. Purchase the best and cheap wildcard SSL certificate from a reputed provider and secure multiple sub-domains of your e-commerce business with one wildcard certificate.
Patches and upgrades
Having your website updated regularly is also another essential way to keep your website secure. Most applications, plugins or extensions regularly send updates with bug fixes and upgrades. Sometimes these unpatched applications might be the main cause of security vulnerability. With hackers lurking everywhere for the right time to steal sensitive information of the users, patching helps the application or plugin to be updated. Updating patches regularly is another way of fraud prevention as patches always include fixes to secure the application. Data breaches can also be prevented in the long run with regularly updating your plugins or extensions.
Regular Malware scan
Ensure your e-commerce website is regularly tested. Despite its protection, scanning it on a regular basis is essential to find potential vulnerabilities and prevent security threats. Scan all the pages and content on your website including the information displayed by third parties. Remove the unwanted code and ensure everything is secure. On regular testing, you can create a secure e-commerce business. Automating your scanning process can identify vulnerabilities and the best scanners can also fix or remove the suspicious programs on a website accordingly. So, safeguard your e-commerce business from cyber attackers by testing your website regularly.
Set strong password
No matter how secure your website is, security is each and everyone’s responsibility. So, ensure the users of your website get rid of default and weak passwords. Since there are hackers ready to break the password with programs and algorithms. Set a condition while customers create a password for their account by setting a strong password which includes alphanumeric and special characters with a minimum of 8 characters. It is also highly recommended that the customers change the password on a regular time interval. Furthermore, the website administrator must also be cautious while handling the user login information.
Pick the right Hosting Provider
A website hosting provider is another crucial part of an e-commerce business. It might seem trivial and you may be tempted to choose a cheap hosting provider but irrespective of the prices and offers, security is the most essential tool. Choose the best hosting provider of your convenience to maintain your e-commerce business. The best hosting provider may differ depending on your requirements but always look for the one with the below-mentioned features
- Proper backup systems with timely backups.
- Secure data center with regular monitoring and maintenance.
- 24*7 support on emergencies.
- Data protection and Detailed cyberattack response plan.
PCI DSS compliance
For any type of e-commerce business, online payment has become quite common. To offer a secure connection to the website users for online payments, ensure your website is PCI DSS compliant. Payment Card Industry (PCI) is a data security standard designed to provide a secure environment that helps in protecting your business and customer’s sensitive information. Nowadays, data threats being the most happening thing, securing your site with PCI DSS compliant is mandatory and improves your security immensely. It helps in preventing hackers from stealing customer data like credit card information and decrease the chances of online frauds.
Apply Firewall
With plenty of Malware, hackers, ransomware, virus and much more creeping its way into a business, security has become a key factor in an organization. Using a firewall is another key element to protect your business from security threats. A web application firewall also known as WAF curates the potential threats that might affect the website and blocks HTTP traffic. WAF is important for an e-commerce company that generally sells products over the internet. The firewall acts as an intermediate between the system and the internet providing another layer of security. So, having a firewall helps in setting up certain user guidelines and avoids future mishaps.
IP address validation
Always verify the IP address and email of the customers. Mostly, fraudulent customers hide their IP address using proxy servers or VPN. Deploy verification services like fraud prevention solutions to prevent these fraudulent customers by regularly monitoring your e-commerce website. Apart from that, compare the billing and shipping address to check whether it is drastically different.
Conclusion
Configure these security essentials in your e-commerce business and reduce the chances of getting victimized for a data breach. Implementing these strategies will help your e-commerce business avoid data breaches and secure your website from frauds and cybercriminals. Now, that you are aware of the best way to protect your online business, ensure you implement all the strategies to stay safe. Generally, a secure website increases brand reputation and boosts e-commerce store sales. With the number of pros keeps piling up make sure to secure your online store!
