E-commerce is booming, and so are cyberattacks. Unfortunately, even the most vigilant eCommerce merchants can fall victim to a hacker attack. The risk of a security breach skyrockets during the holiday season, when hackers are more motivated than ever to find new ways to infiltrate websites and steal sensitive information. For this reason, eCommerce merchants must implement reliable security strategies in their websites to protect them from hackers at any time of the year. Security breaches can have devastating consequences for eCommerce businesses. A recent survey found that 42% of respondents think that hacking will pose an “existential threat” to retail as we know it. This article details the five most effective ways to protect your eCommerce website from potential hackers at all times of the year and prevent them from stealing personal information or confidential data about your business and its customers.
5 Security Tips for eCommerce Merchants to Protect Your Website from Hackers
Firewall Protection
If a hacker manages to break into your website, firewall protection will help prevent them from accessing other parts of your network. Firewalls are built to block malicious traffic, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, unwanted emails, malicious software, and other harmful cyber activities. The best eCommerce firewall solutions will also identify threats before they can cause significant damage. You can choose a firewall that protects your website and your entire network, including all connected devices such as computers, laptops, printers, and smartphones.
Secure Code Development
Developing secure code is essential for any eCommerce site. If a website’s code is not secure, it can become an easy target for malicious hackers looking to exploit vulnerabilities. There are many ways to increase the security of your code. Some best practices include reducing the amount of code, using strong passwords, and avoiding publicly available code libraries. When developing code for your website, use industry-standard programming practices. You should also make sure that your code is regularly updated and tested. Testing can help you to identify potential security issues in your website’s code before hackers exploit them.
User Authentication Protocols
User authentication protocols are the rules that govern how users log in and out of your website and the processes they must complete to authenticate their identity. Authentication protocols should be built with robust security features to prevent unauthorized users from accessing sensitive data. Authentication protocols can include two-factor authentication (2FA) and single sign-on (SSO). Two-factor authentication secures an account by requiring the user to provide two pieces of information. The first is something the user knows, such as a username and password. The user has the second, such as a special device that generates a unique code every 30 seconds. Single sign-on is a method of authenticating a user’s identity by logging in with a single account and using that account to access other related services. SSO can save time by eliminating the need for users to log in with different accounts and remember multiple passwords.
SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate is a security tool that encrypts sensitive data and prevents unauthorized users from viewing it in plain text. This is achieved by assigning a unique SSL certificate to each website. All eCommerce websites should be SSL-enabled to protect customer data, such as credit card numbers and personal information. You can either purchase a cheap SSL certificate or choose an EV SSL certificate and a cheap wildcard SSL certificate, which comes with great security features and benefits that better security and trust.
Network Security Platform
A network security platform is a multi-layered solution to protect internal and external networks from malicious cyber activities. A network security platform typically includes an endpoint protection solution, malware detection, firewall protection, and network traffic analysis. A network security platform can help prevent and identify malicious software, websites, and unencrypted data transfers, which can put your website at risk of a data breach. A network security platform can also help to identify potential security issues before they become major problems and put your website at risk of a data breach. A network security platform also comes with web security tools that can help you identify and fix any potential website issues, such as broken links, code issues, and insecure connections. These tools can help you to keep your website secure and ensure that it passes all standard security tests.
Conclusion
Online security is increasingly important for consumers and businesses in the digital age. To protect e-commerce websites from hackers, e-commerce merchants must implement reliable security strategies at all times of the year. These include firewall protection, secure code development, user authentication protocols, SSL certificates, and network security platforms. When implemented effectively, these strategies can help to keep hackers out of a website and prevent them from stealing sensitive data.
