While launching an eCommerce website, it is necessary to target the right audience as they maximize the business profit in a short time. A website's successful performance depends on its customers. If the traffic is of high quality, there are chances of more visitors arriving at your website and converting into regular customers.
As per recent studies, it is known that about 32℅ of the organic traffic of eCommerce sites comes from bots, unidentified users, etc. So, it has become necessary to eliminate such invalid traffic to make your eCommerce solutions completely safe and secure. eCommerce security threats are a rising concern these days, causing havoc in online business.
6 Common eCommerce Security threats
Here, let’s look at the top eCommerce security threats.
1. Financial Frauds
eCommerce development solutions have faced many financial issues since the beginning of online trading. The fraudsters are constantly trying to hack into the security systems of large eCommerce industries and creating headaches for the authority and customers.
Some commonly occurring financial frauds are credit card frauds, fake returns & refund frauds, etc. Hackers make unauthorized transactions in huge sums and sometimes completely wipe out the accounts of business giants, costing them enormous losses.
The hackers also illegally request fake refund policies for users and drain their equity. Cybercriminals use stolen credit card details to buy stuff from eCommerce stores and make abrupt changes in billing addresses.
2. SQL injection
The most common eCommerce security threat is SQL injection. The hacker inserts malicious code into the SQL database by hacking through the data system. Hackers can use the injected malware to access the sensitive content of customers, such as information about credit cards, bank accounts, etc.
Using the SQL injection, hackers can also erase, retrieve, store, and control the entire database. Many eCommerce development services face these issues where users' sensitive data is leaked or hacked by cyberpunks.
The hackers steal complete information of users, including items purchased from the eCommerce sites, and place fraudulent charges over the items.
3. Spamming
Hackers can send many virus-prone links to users' emails or social media networking sites. Sometimes the links are left in the comment section or direct messages of some blog posts or contact forms. When a user taps on the link, they redirect the page to numerous spam websites where they end up being consumed by the malware.
Sometimes the hackers keep multiple infected links, which can cause trouble to your devices and, in many cases, completely damage them. The virus-loaded links are often mass-mailed malware that quickly becomes a serious concern.
Spamming destroys the authenticity of an eCommerce website and severely affects the speed and performance of the online trading page. It is when you must seek professional help from a reliable eCommerce web development company like AIS Technolabs that can safeguard your site from getting spammed.
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4. Phishing
Phishing is a technique utilized by hackers to camouflage themselves as an authorized store or business owner. It is one of the most common eCommerce security threats that can make customers fall into trauma as victims of cyberattacks. The cyberpunks send emails to the clients of the eCommerce sites and dupe them into disclosing their sensitive data.
The hackers give a fake copy of the valid website and web customers in their maze of betrayal. The customers also start believing them by accepting the fake business requests and providing all their details.
The standard phishing methods include mailing customers with "you must take this action immediately" messages. The users fall into the trap and click on the messages and end up providing information about their sensitive data, which the hackers exploit.
5. DDoS Attacks
The Distributed Denial Service (DDoS) attacks and DOS (Denial of Service) attacks mainly slow down your website's performance and affect the overall sales of your eCommerce store.
A hacker usually sends a vast proportion of traffic to the eCommerce company and overloads the server of that site. Then, the website becomes entirely inaccessible for customers. The DDoS attacks are a form of extortion where the hacker threatens the website owners to leak their information and block their website by overloading servers unless they pay them a huge amount of ransom.
The attacks can turn into huge losses for online businesses, and the recovering charges can cost beyond lakhs of dollars.
6. Malware
Malware is an infectious software specially designed to damage the functioning or completely shut off the computers. Malware causes enormous loss to customers who are victims of cyberattacks.
Malware can quickly destroy the information available on your devices. Sometimes, they are used by hackers to steal the sensitive content of customers, login credentials, and many more. Malware can erase all the critical data available on your computer.
Also, it quickly spreads through mail or attachments or by accessing infected links. If your computer is connected to some other computers, a hacker can simultaneously use malware to attack all other computers.
6 Effective eCommerce Security Tips
Now, let us look into some effective eCommerce security tips for reducing the above-mentioned security threats.
1. Opt for HTTPS and SSL certificates
The HTTPS protocol is used to keep your sensitive data safe and secure from the sight of cyber hijackers. The best eCommerce development company in India like AIS Tecnolabs uses HTTPS to boost website rankings on the Google search engines. HTTPS acts as one of the ranking factors. The data is maintained in a secured way while transferring between any two servers and the users' devices.
This reduces the chances of data overlapping and is stored safely. As a valid eCommerce trading website, you should have the essential SSL certificate from the host to provide visitors access to your website.
Get an up-to-date SSL certificate and HTTPS protocol to stay on the safer side and obtain a considerable amount of traffic.
2. Install Anti-Malware and Anti-Virus Software
Anti-malware is beneficial for detecting and preventing malicious software from your PCs or other IT systems. The anti-malware software removes all kinds of infections such as worms, viruses, Trojans, etc.
When a hacker uses stolen credit cards to access your account from anywhere, anti-fraud software comes in handy to prevent these eCommerce issues. Anti-virus is used to keep the viruses as far as possible. Many anti-virus software has been employed to avoid infection from other malware and infected links.
You can secure your computers, laptops, smartphones, etc., by using an anti-virus that will keep the infecting viruses at bay. The anti-virus software uses sophisticated algorithms to prevent malicious activity on your account.
3. Secure Servers and Admin Panels
Ask the eCommerce website developers to provide you with the proper safety systems for securing your online trading websites. The eCommerce platforms often come with default passwords that can't be accessed easily. But, if you don't change those passwords, you might get prone to frequent cyber-attacks.
Hence, ask your website developers to provide complex and technical passwords or usernames during website development. However, always ensure to change these passwords frequently.
Update the admin panel continuously to notify you of any unauthorized access/login from an unknown IP address. You can follow all these simple steps to stay ahead of maintaining the security of your website.
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4. Use Firewalls
While an eCommerce website development company helps you build your online portal, ensure they install the firewall security software and plugins on your website. The firewall software is recommended by experts, which is pocket friendly and effective to use. The firewall security is used to keep unprotected and unwanted networks at bay.
This software only helps to regulate the traffic, which is essential for increasing the business goals of your website. The firewall security software is selectively permeable as it allows only trusted traffic to enter your website. It protects your site from illegal hacking by preventing cyber threats such as cross-site scripting.
5. Employ Multi-Layer Security
Users can keep their connections secure by using multiple layers of security. The DDoS attacks or overload traffic can be prevented using the Content Delivery Network (CDN). The multi-layer security system uses advanced machine learning to filter out the malicious content from your websites.
To add another security layer to protect your sensitive data, you can use two-factor authentication. It involves multiple sets of passwords and username combinations and an additional code sent via mail or text to the user's contact number. The two-factor authentication system ensures that only the user can have access to their accounts.
6. Use a Secured Payment Gateway
The eCommerce security threats steal sensitive information such as credit cards, debit cards, or customers' bank account details. An eCommerce website developer can add a secure payment gateway to ensure that the customer's details remain safe.
Most of the protective measures include data encryption and fraud detection, which prevents hackers from creating any havoc.
Conclusion
It is indeed a great approach to be aware of the security threats that eCommerce websites face these days. It is essential to keep track of every small activity that might affect eCommerce portals' performance.
There are many ways to protect your website from fraud or suspected malicious activities. Start combating the serious eCommerce cyber threats by using the aforementioned solutions. It can be challenging enough to combat these cyberattacks. However, hiring an eCommerce development company in India like AIS Technolabs can be a holistic approach for maintaining higher business goals by securing your website.
