7 Proven Tips To Ensure E-Commerce Website Security

The popularity of e-commerce businesses peaked amid the pandemic when online shopping was the only way to buy goods. While online selling came as a huge opportunity for business owners, everything about running an e-commerce website is not as alluring as it appears. According to a study by Riskified, e-commerce fraud witnessed an increase of 22% between 2019 and 2020. The numbers get even more daunting as hackers and attackers devise new ways to compromise websites and steal confidential customer information. Undoubtedly, e-commerce security should be the top priority for business owners, as a data breach can hurt more than revenues. It can affect customer trust and brand reputation, which are challenging to recover from. The best solution is to take proactive steps to secure your website and protect customers’ data. Here are a few proven tips to go the extra mile with e-commerce website security.

Use Strong Passwords

Perhaps the simplest way to boost e-commerce security is by educating your customers about strong passwords. A robust password is difficult to guess, so users should skip names, birthdays, and pet names. Ideally, it should have a mix of uppercase and lowercase alphabets, numbers, and special characters. Besides creating awareness, you can implement password complexity requirements on your website to necessitate strong passwords. Also, users must change their passwords regularly for an extra safety layer.

Implement Two-factor Authentication

Besides encouraging and enforcing password strength for your buyers, you must also add a two-factor authentication (2FA) process to log in to your online store. Two-factor authentication has a password and a unique code that goes to the user’s phone or email. The system enables you to prevent unauthorized access to customer accounts, even if someone compromises their passwords.

Use SSL Protocol

Using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption protocol is another measure to build your defenses against attackers. SSL secures data transmissions between your store and your customers’ browsers, so there is hardly a chance of leakage in transit. It protects sensitive information such as login credentials, personal data, and credit card information from falling into the wrong hands. Moreover, an SSL certificate adds a seal of trust to your website, and customers are less apprehensive about sharing details during transactions.

Hire a Hacker

Although it sounds surprising, bringing a hacker on board is the wisest thing an e-commerce seller can do from a security perspective. You must hire a hacker who thinks and works like a real one but is actually ethical. The idea is to test your website inside out to detect every possible flaw or vulnerability a real hacker may compromise. With this proactive measure, you can seal such breaches sooner than later and save your customers and business from the pain of a cyberattack.

Keep Your Software Up-to-date

This is a no-brainer because outdated software, plugins, and third-party tools can make your website prone to security breaches. As cyber attackers discover new vulnerabilities, software vendors keep pace with them by releasing updates and patches to cover the weak areas. Up-to-date software eliminates the possibility of attacks because hackers cannot get in. You must monitor updates and install them as soon as they come. Automating updates is a good option as there is no chance of missing out.

Regularly Backup Your Data

Another proven tip to beef up e-commerce website security is to take regular data backups. Backing up your website and customer data may not prevent an attack, but it can save your business from data loss if a security breach or other unforeseen event occurs. In such situations, you can quickly restore your website and data, so you need not worry about downtime or business disruption. Remember to store your backups in a secure location separate from your website’s server to save them from being compromised.

Train Your Employees

Training your employees is critical to cyber safety, as human error is a leading cause of security breaches. Educate them about security best practices to prevent mistakes and ensure strong defenses at all levels. Train new employees and implement regular refresher sessions for existing ones. Also, establish clear policies and procedures and keep employees on the same page about them. Having people you trust in your team is equally crucial because internal theft is always a concern.

E-commerce website security is a critical matter because customer privacy is at stake. However, ensuring it is a breeze provided you take cyber safety seriously and implement these measures immediately.