How To Protect Your E-commerce Site From Cyberattacks

As online business continues to grow, cybercriminals have increased their efforts to steal data, use fraudulent accounts and cripple servers with viral attacks. Government agencies and massive corporations have received the most attention for incidents involving cyberattacks, but only a small percentage of hackers go after the big targets. Most criminals focus on smaller private websites with e-commerce. Since online transactions require users to give personal information, credit cards or bank account numbers, e-commerce sites are vulnerable without a robust security program. If you have doubts about your site’s security, the following sections will describe how to protect your business from cyberattacks.

Reputable Vendors

Several providers offer incredibly low rates for setting up an e-commerce site with security protections. Unless you’ve researched the company and believe it’s legitimate, avoid the discount web providers at all costs. Cybercriminals sometimes set up fraudulent companies that claim to provide web services and security protection but are only focused on stealing data from owners and customers. When you set up an e-commerce site, your reputation and your client’s financial security are at risk from hackers. So, what is a cyber attack? In addition to malware and viruses, hackers may employ phishing attacks, DNS tunneling, man in the middle attacks or denial of service attacks to disrupt e-commerce. Only deal with reputable vendors who have a long track record of secure website development.

Software Updates

One of the least expensive ways to guard your site against attacks is to update your site’s software frequently. Updates include security improvements that are crucial to maintaining secure online transactions. When you purchase a domain name and develop a site, you can customize your updating options. Most providers have automatic updates that will alert you before a change is made, but you can also schedule a specific time to update.

Password Protection

Fraudulent online transactions are a rapidly growing problem that can cost business owners several thousand dollars in legal fees and lead to consumer confidence loss. Verifying a customer’s identity is an essential task that protects your business and clients from fraud. By using a password protection service with multi-factor authentication, you can keep your online transactions secure. Multi-factor authentication works by requiring users to provide two or more forms of ID to verify their identity. The most secure password apps use a ten-digit password that uses numerals, letters and symbols.

Virus Protection

The free virus protection software available online is not robust enough to protect your e-commerce site. Free programs are intended for casual users who aren’t invested in e-commerce or protecting sensitive data. Find a trusted security provider that offers several layers of protection for your site. Viruses remain a concern to anyone offering e-commerce, but hackers have developed subtle techniques to steal information. For instance, a man in the middle attack occurs when a hacker tries to intercept the data transmitted between two parties. This “cyber eavesdropping” technique has become more common, but experienced security firms have found methods to block the attack and protect the users. Cybersecurity should be a significant part of your operating budget, and you can purchase a premium package that protects your site from multiple types of attacks.

Data Back-Up

Although highly-rated security firms are continually updating their security methods to combat attacks, online security is not 100% effective. Your chances of an attack are less likely with a premium security vendor, but you should protect your data by using a cloud backup that you can access from any location. If an attack cripples your site, you can retrieve your data from the cloud to get the site up and running.

Employee Monitoring

When an e-commerce site becomes successful, entrepreneurs often hire additional employees to manage the site. A rigorous screening program and robust interview process will protect your business from criminals trying to manipulate your business from the inside. Your employees should not have access to the administrative functions of the site to protect your customer’s data. Cybercriminals enjoy targeting e-commerce sites, but you’re less likely to experience an attack if you use the previous suggestions to improve your security.