Security in e-commerce

First of all, it is necessary to understand e-commerce in order to realize what the current security needs are in the field. With the explosion of online marketing and digitalization, the business environment has completely changed. Businesses are adhering to e-commerce platforms because they offer a greater reach and faster growth paths. In the last 5 years, the number of online stores has increased by about 40%. This means that the challenge in this industry is to keep cyber threats that lurk around every corner of the digital space at bay.

The purpose of cybersecurity in e-commerce is to protect the integrity, authenticity, and reliability of businesses. Here are the main threats to e-stores:

Phishing – this is a type of social manipulation used by cybercriminals to deceive their victims. They use emails, text messages, and in some cases even phone calls to obtain private information such as account numbers, passwords, or even money.

Malware and Ransomware – this is a large-scale threat that can cause significant losses for businesses. Malware and ransomware can block your data and even your systems. It often presents itself in the form of software used to gain access to systems or data and to disrupt or damage the entire network or system.

SQL Injection Attacks – when online stores use an SQL database to store information, they are exposed to the risk of being "injected" with malicious queries. Such actions can give attackers access to your data, which they can steal and even manipulate.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) – this is a type of attack that does not affect the site itself but impacts the users. It is another major attack that can lead to the loss of critical information not only of the business but also of the customers who use the site, such as shoppers, ultimately exposing customers to malware and phishing attempts.

Here's what we can do to protect against these threats:

• Protect your devices

• Perform data backups

• Switch to HTTPS

• Regularly update the site

• Implement additional authentication factors

• Use strong and unique passwords

• Periodically review third-party modules and integrations

Turning to e-commerce platforms instead of building your own e-commerce site can bring a certain assurance that you are protected from these risks. Most companies offering such SaaS services invest a lot in security and represent an extra guarantee that your site is protected from such attacks. You just need to make sure these things are in order and ask these questions before contracting such online services.

At Shopoteque, the security of the e-commerce sites we build is one of our priorities. We pride ourselves on having very well-established security protocols and monitoring in real-time all the sites that have chosen us.