Secure your online store with the following three tips:
Make the HTTPS switch
Until quite recently, HTTPS was only used by the online banking industry and e-commerce payment portals. The increased targeting of e-commerce websites by hackers has now made HTTPS adoption a necessity. To get HTTPS for your e-commerce website, you first need to purchase an SSL security certificate from your hosting service, or a third-party vendor. HTTPS encrypts all the information coming in, and going out of your e-commerce website.
Data is most vulnerable when being transmitted online. With HTTPS encryption, if your data ever gets intercepted, your security will not be compromised.
HTTPS is also a requirement for any website that seeks PCI DSS compliance. PCI is a security standard set by the major credit card companies (including VISA, MasterCard and American Express) to ensure that vendors secure their clients’ card information. PCI DSS compliance not only increases the security of your e-commerce website, but the certification also gives clients more confidence to transact with you.
Use security plug-ins on your website
If there is one factor that will be a recurring theme throughout this guide, it will be that you can never have too much security on your e-commerce website. There are literally millions of hackers all around the globe who are using different techniques to find security soft spots on e-commerce websites. Security plug-ins are one of the tools that you can use to further secure your online business.
While most popular e-commerce platforms come with their own security features, supplement them by adding your own reputable plug-ins. These can usually be applied at the website hosting level. As with any security feature, carry out thorough research to find the products that best suit your business.
Installing these plug-ins is, however, just the first step. You should always ensure that you look out for updates and install them as soon as they are released. An updated system is more secure against the ever-evolving threat of online hackers. You also need to choose a cheap VPS with care, ensuring it has security elements too.
Don’t store client card details on your site
In physical retail outlets, business owners try to limit the amount of cash at hand because cash is what robbers target. In online stores, hackers target data, with card details being one of the most sought-after types of data. Just as a shop entrusts its cash with a bank, you should ensure that customer card details are stored by reputable third-party services.
If a data breach occurs, and credit card fraud is committed, you will be most likely liable to lawsuits. Depending on the amount of cash lost, this could well end your business. Never expose yourself to this type of risk. There are numerous card payment processors that you can use to ensure that customer card details are never stored on your servers and that the current PCI regulations are being adhered to. On this note, you can view the latest PCI 4.0 steps you’ll need to take on specific websites online.
If you must store these details, then security should be your biggest priority. Consult with industry experts on the best measures that you can put in place to ensure that your servers are never breached.