Purchases through E-commerce websites are skyrocketing amidst the Covid-19 lockdown. Customers are now preferring online shopping instead of the traditional bazaar. Bearing this in mind, it can be observed that India’s e-commerce sales are up by 25% due to the pandemic. At the same time, there has been little news floating about how few eCommerce websites have been hacked and stole useful data.
In such a situation, fostering trust to retain customers is the goal of brands. Since customers place their trust in the brand’s quality, experience, and services, organizations must protect their customers and the business itself from security threats.
Making Cybersecurity paramount and taking necessary steps to communication protocols is the need of the hour. If you are often wondering, how to fight the nasty threats in your business venture, keep reading this article till the end as we focus on the ultimate eCommerce security checklist for your website.
Do not compromise your data, Happy reading!
Ever heard of eavesdropping on someone? Well, that can happen over the internet too! Getting eavesdropped by a bad guy is not pleasant. To avoid this, we try communicating in private, don’t we? Sometimes, we communicate in private using a language only you and your friend can understand.
Now, replicate this childhood memory into the world of HTTPS. When using HTTPS, you encrypt the sensitive data and save yourself from malicious eavesdropping which is possible through HTTP. The HTTP does not encrypt your sensitive data but rather sends packets of information as plain text. This unencrypted data can be accessed by hackers thus leaking your private info. Meanwhile, the HTTPS protocol does encrypt your data, saving you from malicious activity on your e-commerce website.
It is advisable to use HTTPS on pages that are going to collect confidential data. For example, the ‘Sign Up’ page or the ‘Payment’ page. As customers are aware of the HTTP vs HTTPS game, they might avoid shopping on your e-commerce website due to the ‘Not secure’ prompt in the URL.
Be sure, to protect your data from eavesdropping and use encryption!
Good news for all Google users, with the new chrome 90 update, your website will now automatically redirect itself to HTTPS. This will help your e-commerce website in its conversion rate.
Security is a big deal for anyone doing business online. You must keep your customers and business safe while dealing on the web. Before you read ahead, we want you to double click on our website’s URL. Do you see a ‘padlock icon’ followed by ‘https://’? This implies that our website has SSL security, and we are the legitimate owners of this website.
In layman’s terms, we are who we say we are.
SSL or Secure Sockets Layer is the technology that keeps sensitive information like credit card details, usernames, and passwords safe from internet crooks. Apart from providing an online identification, SSL certificates encrypt the data flowing to and from your website keeping it safe from outsiders.
Showing that you are serious about your security is a great way to earn trust. Here is a bonus tip, installing an SSL certificate helps your e-commerce website rank well in Google search results. Get your SSL certificate today to provide our customers with a safe shopping environment.
Read our exclusive guide on choosing the best SSL certificate for your eCommerce website.
All our lives, we have been taught to keep passwords as strong as a bull. But at times, these undefeatable strong passwords are compromised through phishing attacks. So, what now? Let all your data be compromised, nope. Here is where we use the 2FA or the Two-factor authentication.
Learn more about Two-factor authentication solutions.
Passwords are the weakest links in security. Yes, you heard that right. You do not always know who has access to your passwords. However, modifying this weak link correctly can be one of the most effective security measures for your e-commerce website. Basically, the two-factor authentication asks you to confirm your identity twice. Usually, the first identification is the Username/password combo and the second is either a unique auto-generated code sent to your device or a fingerprint scan.
Many times, websites are tricked into giving away their passwords. This can compromise the security of your website but with 2FA you are still protected. Organizations use 2FA as an extra layer of security to avoid data breaches. Internet crooks might hack your password but not the unique code as it expires in a short span.
Speaking of a password’s vulnerability, dealing with customer data and financial transactions over the internet can be tedious. Maintaining privacy and keeping customer information confidential becomes the top priority for any e-commerce business. However, malicious activities are always carried out on the internet, particularly on public networks. In such cases, preventing data interception by malicious users is imperative.
VPNs or Virtual Private Networks create a tunnel for your company’s sweet data. Now, this tunnel encrypts the data before entering a public network, which is full of bad guys. Once your data is encrypted it can only be decrypted once it reaches the server.
Companies use a VPN, allowing themselves a well-encrypted connection to a secure server. This helps to prevent any unwanted party from creating havoc with your data and the server.
Nowadays, we use plastic money to transact online. Due to their wide usage, it is imperative to have a safety protocol for smooth transactions. For this, companies use ‘Payment Gateway Security to ensure a fool-proof transaction.
Payment gateways are hosted between your e-commerce website and the payment processor i.e. the acquiring bank or a credit card company. If there is enough in the customer’s bank, these payment gateways will authorize the transaction rendering the purchase successful.
Basically, these gateways ensure a trustworthy transaction between the customer and the e-commerce website. To ensure no payment fraud, use gateways with point-to-point encryption (P2PE). Ensure all the money swipes on your e-commerce website reach you successfully and help your business grow!
An AVS is a system used to verify the authenticity of the data provided by the customer. It is done by checking it against the credit card company. Any discrepancy in this process would be indicated as a possible fraud’s work as a frontline defense. Imagine an unfortunate event where your credit card is stolen, and the unwanted party orders a product to their address. This could sometimes lead to the cancellation of the order.
The AVS compares the numeric parts of the address (street number, pin code, etc.) provided by the cardholder and generates a code. This code can be used by the cardholder to decide whether to proceed with the transaction or not. This process does not disrupt successful transactions at all.
Apart from following eCommerce security best practices, here is a list of handy tools for your website’s overall protection.
Firewalls are like firewalls in a building. In case of a fire, the firewall separates the fire from the residential, saving the entire construction to go down in flames. In the techy world, the firewall acts as a barrier for malefactors trying to access your website.
Firewalls scan every connection request received via private networks. They identify and filter out possible mischief-makers. Websites hosting sensitive data need firewalls as they work with a large workforce and clientele.
Firewalls can be both, hardware, and software. Due to some latency and cost issues, it is always recommended to opt for software or hybrid configurations. Another advantage of having a firewall installed is that it maintains the traffic’s legitimacy on your website. They ensure complete scanning of internal networks, locate vulnerabilities, and patch them accordingly.
They say, even twins do not have the same fingerprints. Isn’t that a good way to ensure individual identification?
Biometrics verify an individual’s identity by matching their bodily features. One of the most reliable methods to confirm a user’s identity as this data cannot be replicated easily.
Technology like facial and iris recognition, fingerprint scanner, voice, and behavioral characteristics in place for determining the authenticity of an individual.
The importance of eCommerce security cannot be emphasized enough. With cyber-crimes increasing each day it is necessary to prevent your hard work online. Having several lines of security is important to be tension-free while your business flourishes. While increasing your revenue streams, one cannot overlook the security of their website. We hope this article helped you to get thinking about your eCommerce security and safety.
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