A business that’s doing well attracts criminals almost magically. Even in the world of digital commerce. That’s why you should know the current security standards that protect your e-commerce. We have compiled the ten most important practices for secure e-commerce.

E-commerce security protects all your e-commerce assets from unauthorized access. The term also means all the measures that keep your online presence, your online store, and thus your business safe from hacks or other cyber-attacks.
As an e-commerce operator, you are long familiar with the fact that the security of your website is a top priority. Your customers’ sensitive data, their mailing address and credit card information must be protected. If a hacker manages to steal this data, not only your reputation as a trustworthy and secure company is at stake. Most likely, you will also lose customers. But how can you protect yourself from cyber attacks? The answer in a nutshell: through appropriate software and careful advance planning! But now for the details.

E-commerce security stands and falls with the e-commerce platform you choose, be it Shopify, Magento or WooCommerce, for example. This is because each platform offers different settings and extensions that fundamentally decide the way you run your online business. The decisive factor for your choice should be scalable security measures. Another deciding factor is the ability to effortlessly integrate third-party security measures. The platform you choose should also run on a recently updated version, if possible. Expired or nearly expired versions may no longer have the necessary security standards, as hackers are constantly working to bypass the security settings of popular platforms.
So when choosing a platform for your e-business, make sure you use an object-oriented programming language and functional security tools. For example, access to your e-commerce platform must be regulated by a regularly renewed secure password.

Who should be your host? A good hosting provider will offer AES encryption. AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a symmetrical encryption method. In other words, AES – unlike asymmetric encryption – uses only one key for encryption and decryption. Your host’s offering should also include network monitoring, technical support, and a backup program.

To avoid eavesdropping or other hacker attacks, it is imperative that your customer data is encrypted during transmission, otherwise it could be tapped and read. This makes the use of SSL certificates, for example to protect financial transactions, a must for your online store. Encryption ensures that only the intended recipient can read the data sent. Of course, the data stored on your server must also be encrypted accordingly to prevent unauthorized access to it.

The regulations of the PCI Security Standards Council ensure that the financial data stored by your company is stored securely. So, if your online store accepts credit or debit cards, all PCI regulations to protect customer data from hackers must be followed accurately. Otherwise, you may face hefty fines.

PCI compliance includes different gradations. Depending on how many transactions your business does per year, the level of PCI compliance can vary. For example, at 10,000 transactions in a year, your online store will be required to complete an annual risk assessment using a self-assessment questionnaire.

Good firewalls reliably protect your web store from viruses, Trojans or worms. And if any suspicious actions are performed on your network, a strong firewall will immediately sound the alarm. Make sure that your firewall is constantly updated and properly configured, because only then will it provide optimal protection.

Secure passwords for all user logins on your network are an absolute must. These should also be changed every three months. Make sure that all firewalls, antivirus programs or other security-related software are updated on an ongoing basis.

Limitation is the key: You should only store your customers’ sensitive data when it is really necessary. So, for example, information for processing returns, refunds or chargebacks. Delete it as soon as you no longer need it. If your website does get hacked, hackers will find little usable data there.
As an additional measure, check the CVV2 (Card Verification Value 2) code and address for all online purchases to protect against online fraud.
Incidentally, the best way to store sensitive customer data is on an offline server. After all, hackers can’t access them!

Constantly changing and optimizing your passwords can be a nuisance, but it is unavoidable. This is the only way to ensure the security of your sensitive customer data. So insist on it, even if your customers are annoyed by it at first. In the long run, it will pay off to ensure that your customers’ financial data in particular is protected from unwanted access.

Keeping data secure and responding to hacker attacks should be known by all your employees, not just the IT department. Furthermore, this doesn’t just mean creating strong and secure passwords. They should also know how to deal with phishing emails, suspicious websites and spam emails. In particular, what to do if customer data is stolen must be clearly regulated and known to everyone.

Test the security of your measures. It is best to commission someone to do this. In the so-called hacking test, someone attacks your e-commerce website and pretends to be a hacker. If the person succeeds in gaining access to sensitive data, it is obvious that you still need to improve the security of your online store. In the opposite case, you will then know that you have done everything right.

Conclusion: Cybercrime is a real threat to your e-commerce and your customers and tends to increase. Therefore, make sure you have continuously updated security standards.

At Social Media Content Lab, we help you and your business implement your marketing strategies and online campaigns. In doing so, we also use technologies to ensure security standards so that our clients achieve the best possible results. If you are also interested, we look forward to hearing from you.