Running a business used to be very hard a few decades ago. You had to start a company, find a place to rent, buy inventory, spend some of your marketing budget on billboards and TV ads, and hope for the best. Now, it’s much simpler. You create a website and a social media account, pay for some ads, and voila – you’re making sales in an instant with e-commerce. 

Objectively, setting up an e-commerce store is easier than a physical store. And whenever something is easy, there’s usually a catch. In the case of e-commerce stores, that’s cyberattacks. Digital criminals are waiting for you to make a mistake so they can steal your customers’ credit card information or drain your bank account. But what can you do since you can’t install cameras, alarms, and movement sensors on your website? 

Well, you can adopt these cybersecurity musts and ensure hackers have a hard time breaching you so they can move on to their next target. Let’s dive in. 

Secure your website

You’ve got to start with the basics. Securing your website comes first; an SSL certificate is an absolute must. The reason you need one is simple. Without an SSL certificate, it’s like you’re sending information through an open letter without putting it in an envelope. Everyone in the post office can read what’s in it. That’s what happens to your data without an SSL. The SSL certificate seals the envelope, and hackers can’t read anything you’re sending. It only costs a few dollars, so there’s no reason not to have it. 

Create strong passwords

If you’ve got your name, surname, pet name, or birthday as your password, stop what you’re doing and change it immediately. That’s worse than leaving your front door unlocked. It’s like leaving it wide open at night! All of your accounts need to have complex passwords. This is the most overlooked part of cybersecurity and the easiest trap most people fall for. If you’ve got employees, tell them to use strong passwords, a password manager, and multi-factor authentication. 

Update everything

Any add-ons, plugins, and software you use must be updated to the newest version. Every update has a security patch that makes it harder for hackers to break in. If you’re using an old version, the likelihood of suffering a data breach increases dramatically. Updates and hackers are playing a cat-and-mouse game in the digital world. You always want to be in the lead. 

Guard your site

You want to do everything in your power to protect your site. You can use a VPN, antivirus, proxy extension, firewall, or any other cybersecurity tool you deem necessary. All these tools have a purpose to protect you, and it would be perfect to have them all at your disposal. But if you can’t have them all, get at least one premium one so you are protected with just a few clicks. 

Pick a secure payment method

Never store customer payment information on your website. That invites a horde of problems and hackers. Instead, use a secure payment method. The best option is a credit card processor that protects your customer’s credit card data with the highest industry standards. You can also add popular payment providers like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay to adhere to a broader audience. 

Educate your employees

Almost all cyber attacks happen due to human error. Statistics say that 95% of breaches occur because of clicking on malicious links or using weak passwords. If you have a team, you have to teach them about the best cybersecurity practices and how to recognize scams. Social phishing is evolving quickly, and you’ll fall for the bait if you don’t keep up with cybersecurity trends. Knowledge is your friend, and you must share it with the people working with you. 

Back up regularly

Your computer should be just one of the places where your most essential documents, code, and memories are stored. It’s best to have copies and backups of customer data and every digital file that’s important to you. In case something happens to your device (let’s say it gets compromised with ransomware), you’ll have copies that allow you to keep working as if nothing happened. Being in a spot where you can restore your data is like a safety net that helps you bounce back instantly. 

Test your defenses

When you lock the front door before leaving the house, you check by pressing it down and seeing whether it will open. It’s natural human behavior. Yet we don’t do such checks for our digital safety. Bring in an expert who can test your e-commerce store and let them do their thing. They’ll find all your vulnerabilities and share some insight on how you can make your website safer. It’s like having a detective on your side that protects you from criminals. 

In this day and age, a breach isn’t a possibility. It’s almost a guarantee. That’s why you need to know what to do when it happens. What number should you call? Which is the service you’ll reach out to so they can restore your data? How and what will you announce to your customers? Have all these questions answered so that if the situation happens, you have a plan to follow.

 

This is a contribution post by Rahat Hine. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are not based on the views and opinions of Tomorrow’s World Today.