eCommerce Cybersecurity Checklist: 4 Ways To Secure Your Website

Read our eCommerce security checklist to discover how to secure your online store

Why It's Important

With online shopping holidays like Amazon Prime day becoming more prevalent, the eCommerce market continues to thrive, growing at a rate of 12% year-over-year for the past 10 years. As the market continues to flourish, so will the competition. In 2022, eCommerce sales brought in roughly $5.7 trillion worldwide and is expected to bring in over $8 trillion in 2026.

With this growth also came an increase in cyberattacks on eCommerce stores. In a 2021 Webscale survey of online merchants, 85.25% said they experienced cybersecurity incidents on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (up from 78% the previous year). Given how costly data breaches can be for businesses, taking the steps to prevent them is essential.

eCommerce Cybersecurity Threats

With online stores collecting such valuable customer information, it’s no surprise that there are many types of security threats to consider. Some of the most common threats include:
 

• Malware
• Phishing
• DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service)
• SQL injections
• Cross-site scripting (XSS)
• Brute force attacks

Hackers look to exploit site vulnerabilities they find on the site, which makes it essential to understand which elements of your website could be a liability.

Vulnerable Website Elements

Choosing the right theme and plugins is essential to ensuring an ideal customer experience as well as fostering customer trust. Before buying a new sleek theme for your site, it’s recommended to review the change log or ask the developer how often he or she pushes new security updates to patch vulnerabilities found in outdated code. If the developer behind the add-on doesn’t make security a priority, the themes or plugins may have weak entry points. This could cause bigger security issues and give cybercriminals access to important consumer data.

Attacks on third-party payment processors are also a critical security challenge for an eCommerce site. It was a third-party vulnerability that allowed a group of cybercriminals to implement web skimmer malware on Macy’s website. By the time it was discovered and announced, the personal information of the site’s 55 million monthly visitors was already compromised. If you lack the resources and budget to build a secure online cart for your site on your own, be sure to choose a third-party payment processor that is already compliant with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

4 Ways to Secure eCommerce Websites

Choosing the most appealing and useful features for your site is important but be sure to follow these top four tips for protecting your website and customers from costly and dangerous data breaches.

1. Install A Secure Sockets Layer Certificate.

An SSL certificate is a basic eCommerce website security requirement. It protects data as it is transferred between the website and the server. When users log in to their accounts or submit a payment, for example, the SSL certificate prevents cybercriminals from intercepting that information as it is in transit. Your customers will be able to tell if you have an SSL certificate because your site’s URL will have a padlock as a visual indicator or begin with “https” instead of “http.”

2. Ask About The Developer’s Security Practices.

Developers release new versions and updates because they are trying to proactively patch security vulnerabilities found in outdated code. It’s imperative not to neglect these updates when you are notified about them through the dashboard or email. Timely updates must be completed and reviewed for any eCommerce platform to remain secure, so make these updates a priority in your business tasks.

3. Add An Automatic Scanner To Your Website.

Conducting website scans to check for vulnerabilities, including malware, is a daily necessity for any eCommerce business. A website scanner can make this easy for you by automatically combing through your files to detect and remove malware and other threats on your site. Invest in a comprehensive scanner that searches for malware, spam, and XSS and SQL injection attacks, along with the capability to automatically remove them upon detection.

4. Install A Web Application Firewall.

A web application firewall, or WAF, filters unwanted traffic by keeping malware and malicious bots from ever reaching your site. When properly configured, a WAF acts as a gatekeeper for your website that prevents critical attacks from the top security threats to an eCommerce platform. Look for a cybersecurity provider that can automate a comprehensive solution to scan, remediate, and block threats on a daily basis.

As you grow your online business, make sure to keep your assets, and customer data, safe. See how SiteLock can help with eCommerce security solutions.