E-commerce is booming. With the pandemic forcing consumers to purchase goods online, the industry has grown more than everybody expected. Added to this, e-commerce platforms make it easier for brick-and-mortar businesses to move online. Going digital has become an essential strategy for businesses.
Everything has its disadvantages, though. While the e-commerce industry provided a convenient and easy way for consumers to go shopping, it has also opened another venue where cybercriminals can victimize people.
In addition to this, the holiday season is here. The shopping frenzy is making online businesses vulnerable to cyberattacks, and unsuspecting consumers are at the mercy of fraudsters.
Fortunately, the majority of online threats are avoidable, especially the old, popular ones.
E-commerce business owners should know how to use the proper protection and coverage to protect their business and customers against cybercriminals and fraudsters. You should have a defense put up against people who aim to steal your privacy and customer data and damage your brand reputation. Cybercrime will, in fact, grow more sophisticated in an attempt to keep up with improving security measures developed by the IT industry.
This article will help you protect your business using cyber security technologies available today. From strengthening your website to implementing strict verification processes, you can surely put a barrier between your business and cyber threats.
Create a Backup Plan
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Hackers will not only steal your company information and customer data. Much like how heat styling appliances cause damage to one’s hair, hackers can also damage your store’s content.
Prepare your business for such threats. You should have the right set of content stored somewhere else apart from your web store. Create a backup for all your files and content. With the right content, you’ll have everything you need when the time comes to relaunch your website. You don’t have to create everything from scratch, which is time-consuming.
For businesses that have been attacked and websites damaged, it’s essential to get back up again as quickly as possible to prevent losing your customer base.
Comply With PCI Security Standards
The group of PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) was developed by the Payment Card Industry Security Standard Council (PCI) together with major global credit card brands. Make sure that your business complies with PCI Security Standards. PCI compliance ensures that customers’ banking and credit card data are secured during the payment process. It is an efficient security tool that makes it easy for online business owners to provide secure payment options for their customers.
According to experts from the PCI, the holidays are a time for businesses to double their protection. Aside from PCI compliance, they recommend regular patching of security software and monitoring remote access of your payment data system to ensure data security.
Conduct Regular Audit
Create a schedule for website security inspections and follow it strictly, according to Big Commerce, an e-commerce platform. Regular security audits will help you discover flaws in your online store before hackers and fraudsters do.
Regular auditing is a preventive measure that enables you to determine whether necessary updates are in place, including your security software, plugins, and SSL certificate. This will help you remove unnecessary software and inactive plugins. This also ensures your website uses a more secure HTTPS (hypertext transfer protocol secure) instead of simply an HTTP.
Audits also help you determine if communication is encrypted, passwords are strengthened, and content is backed up. Checking your website security also provides information if your FTP (file transfer protocol) access, database, content management system, hosting dashboards, and admin accounts have strong passwords. It also ensures that your website is regularly scanned against all kinds of malware—viruses, ransomware, scareware, worms, spyware, Trojans, and adware.
Leverage Tools and People
Hackers and fraudsters may be getting smarter with their tactics. However, if you have security measures in place and audit them regularly, you can protect your business against cyber attacks.
Another way to increase your website security is employee training and information dissemination. Make sure that your people are well-informed of the risks that cyber threats cause.
Fortunately, businesses today have better tools in protecting their online stores and website. Take advantage of these security measures. Use them for your business this holiday.