Cybersecurity Threats: How To Protect Your E-Commerce Website

With the breathtaking advancement in technology each year,
cyber crimes have also gotten more sophisticated. Studies show that by 2021 companies will lose $6 trillion annually to cybercrimes, that’s a huge figure. The number of people using the internet is only going to increase, and shopping has evolved from the traditional brick and mortar stores to e-commerce websites. It isn’t a new experience for anyone anymore. At least three out of every five internet users have ordered something online.
In developing countries, e-commerce hasn’t gotten to the full height of what it is in the United
States, but everyone that uses the internet is familiar with the popular e-commerce stores in their
country, that’s how popular e-commerce is right now. However, this popularity has also made
cybercriminals improve their strategy and increase the number of websites they target. Over
50,000 websites get attacked every day, so if your website isn’t properly secured, you’re at risk of losing money and your reputation.
Recently, Target discovered they’ve been a victim of cybercrimes, more than one million debit
and credit cards had been compromised. That’s why every e-commerce platform needs to be
secured to the teeth.

What Are Cybersecurity Threats?

Cybersecurity threats are basically attacks carried out by hackers on websites, apps and servers
so they can gain access to your website and steal data, money or identity. Identity theft is on the
rise in the world and it is one of the most dangerous cyber attacks there is right now.
There are different forms of cyber attacks and techniques these criminals use when attacking a
website, we will talk about it in the next section of this article.

Popular Cybersecurity Threats

Websites are attacked using different techniques, some of these hackers have perfected one of
these techniques to make their hacking attempt very sophisticated. In this section, you will learn
some of the common cyber-security threats an e-commerce website encounter every day.

● Phishing
This is one of the most common cybersecurity threats online. This is a form of social engineering
where hackers deceive internet users to get their personal information and even their credit card
passwords. This often involves cybercriminals sending emails or notifications pretending to be
their favorite e-commerce store or website and asking them to register for a promotion or sign up
for a newsletter. Anything to make you give up some personal details.
When they get the needed details, they use it to steal funds from the unsuspecting victim. There
are hundreds of phishing websites on the internet, you just have to be careful.
● Malware
Malware, which is another term for malicious software, is a virus written by hackers. The aim of
this software is to attack your website and take control of the website. The software is so
sophisticated that websites with some level of security still get compromised. Some of the
popular malware are the Trojan spyware, drive-by downloads and some very powerful virus.
● DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)
This cyber threat isn’t aimed at getting access or controlling your website, it is an attack
developed to destroy. DDoS attacks disrupt the normal flow of activities on your website by
sending too many traffic to your website until your website gets overwhelmed and finally break
down.
● Cross Site Scripting (XXS)
This is malicious software used mostly for stealing the identities of users on a website. With this
method, bad scripts are inserted into unsecured e-commerce websites and user information are
stolen through cookies, and other information means.
● SQL Injection
Every e-commerce website has a database where customer information is stored. That database is
mostly powered by SQL. An SQL injection happens when a website is trying to interact with its
database. There are specific software written by cybercriminals to take advantage of the situation
and gain access to the database of websites and steal information.

Negative Effects of a Cybersecurity Breach

The effects of a cybersecurity breach on your website are far more than the monetary loss. These
are some of the effects of getting hacked.
1. Damage to Your Reputation: once your website has been hacked, it only tells customers
one thing, your security apparatus is lacking. If it was a major hack you’ll surely lose
customers because they won’t want to put their information and money in a platform
where they don’t feel safe. That will surely hurt your company’s reputation, and without
proper damage control, your e-commerce website may never recover.
2. Financial Loss: with a loss in reputation comes the automatic effect on your revenue.
Once you lose customers your income also gets affected.
3. Blacklisted by the Search Engines: once search engines discover your e-commerce
website has been breached, it will most likely get blacklisted. They don’t want to promote
an unsafe website to the public, that would be reckless from them.

How to Protect Your Website From Getting Cyber Attacked

Now you’re familiar with the common cybersecurity threats and their effect on your business,
you should learn how to protect your e-commerce website. What are the best ways to do that?
1. Change Your Password: it is always advisable to change your password. Some people use
just one password for every platform they are on. If you’re a website owner with that
habit, stop immediately and change the password to your e-commerce website. Hackers
can target other websites you are in, get information like username and password and
then apply that password to your e-commerce website. If you use that same password for
your e-commerce website, it becomes easier for them to break into your website.
2. Choose a Secured Web Hosting Package: one of the best ways to secure your
e-commerce website is by hosting it on a secured web host. Some hosts are more secure
than others, look for the most secured one and host your website on it.
3. HTTPS Protocol is Important: buy a domain plan that comes with SSL security, that’s the
first layer of security you can give to your website. SSL security combined with HTTPS
will ensure that your website is less vulnerable to attacks.
4. Always Update Your Website: always update your software. Let’s say your website was
built on a content management system like Droopal, WordPress or Joomla, it is important
to always update plugins, software and other APIs that is housed on your website.
5. Monitor Your Security With Tools: you can also use sophisticated software to monitor
the activities on your website, especially security-related activities. These tools detect
whenever your website is being attacked and give you notice so you can take action.
Securing your website from hackers can be one of the toughest jobs for you as an e-commerce
website owner. However, using these security tips, you can rest assured that your site will be
protected — just be on alert constantly so you don’t get caught unaware.