Introduction
All ecommerce store owners should be aware of the top security threats to their business. They include card skimmers, hackers, and malware. To protect against these threats, companies need to be constantly cognizant of what’s happening with their customers, as well as their own site’s data. The security of an ecommerce website is a priority for all ecommerce site owners. In this article, we’ll detail the most prevalent and serious security threats, as well as solutions for each of them.
Top Security Threats And Solutions For Ecommerce Businesses
1. Malware
Malware, or unintentional or “rogue” software, is a common threat to many ecommerce websites. For this reason, it is also one of the most common security threats to face. Malware works to exploit the vulnerabilities of a computer. There are many types of malware, including virus and unwanted email attachments. These programs are usually downloaded unknowingly by customers through an email message or an insecure website link.
Solution For Ecommerce Store Owners:
To protect against this threat, ecommerce site administrators must ensure that the software they use in their business is up to date. By doing this, ecommerce site owners can be sure any potential exploits will be fixed.They should also keep an eye on their company’s websites and web logs to deal with any malicious content.
2. Credit Card Fraud
Credit card fraud and card cracking and carding is a serious problem for all ecommerce stores. In fact, it’s one of the top 10 most common types of cyber crime. But it’s also one of the easiest to prevent. Credit card fraud happens when someone uses a stolen credit card for online purchases.
Solution For Ecommerce Store Owners:
All ecommerce stores should have a strong network traffic in place to make sure they can quickly detect any suspicious activity on their end. They should also pay close attention to all transactions and be aware of customers’ buying habits. It’s also wise to block traffic from certain countries that are common for this type of fraud, especially if you aren’t advertising to them directly. These include southeast Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.
3. Bot Traffic
Bot traffic is an issue for many ecommerce sites. With this type of traffic, malware is used to create multiple fake user sessions on your website to frustrate it and slow it down.
Solution For Ecommerce Store Owners:
Keep an eye out for any fake sessions as well as bots, and block them as soon as possible if you find any. And always update software if there are security patches available. You can also improve the security of your passwords by implementing a password manager system to remember all of them for you. Another method is by using CAPTCHAs, which are security codes that customers have to enter when they sign up for service. The idea is to restrict bots from accessing your website and repeat the process by making customers use a CAPTCHA.
4. Phishing
Phishing attacks are the most common type of online fraud. They usually involve criminal ecommerce site owners creating fake websites with similar looks and designs to reputable ones. Their goal is to get customers to enter their personal and financial information.
Solution For Ecommerce Store Owners:
Do some research before you create your ecommerce site. This will help you understand what features and functions are popular in the industry as well as how you can be different from your competitors. And always choose trusted sources for your business logos and product images to avoid anything being stolen or copied. You should also keep aware of anyone pretending to emulate your website online, and work with your registrar and domain host to try and prevent them from fooling your customers.
You should also file for copyright and trademark, so you can serve these people cease and desist letters, or take further legal action if necessary.
5. Shipping and return scams
Another common problem is shipping scams. Shipping scams are when criminals make a fake order on your website, then request for their money back or a free shipment in order to cover their side of the transaction.
Solution For Ecommerce Store Owners:
Never refund an entire order, or let them choose their preferred method of shipping. Always refund the cost of the item, and not any additional fees like shipping costs.
6. Spoof emails
If you send emails or newsletters to your customers, make sure you have proof that the email they are responding to is a legitimate one. Otherwise, it can end up in their spam folder, and get marked as spam if they don’t read the entire message.
Solution For Ecommerce Store Owners:
Don’t use a free email service. Use a paid, dedicated email, and make sure that your emails aren’t marked as spam.
7. Skimming
Skimming is an issue that affects Ecommerce owners as well, it involves hackers gleaning specific customer information, and taking their credit card info from holes in your site’s security. This has happened in recent data breaches from large companies including Target and Carnival Cruise.
Solution For Ecommerce Store Owners:
Store your customers’ data in a secure area, and avoid storing any credit card information at all as well as any other personally identifiable information that may be considered sensitive by the FDA. Know where your customers are coming from, if you see a large amount of traffic from China or Russia for example be careful and inquire about its authenticity. Finally develop a strong plan for how to handle a data breach if you happen to get hacked.
Final Thoughts
The most important thing to remember is to be proactive about protecting your business against these threats. If you didn’t take the time to prepare early on, you could be left in a bad situation if something happens. And if your business is affected by these online crimes, it could affect your reputation long term. It’s important to remember not only your business is at risk, but also your customers who put their trust in you as an authority.
