5 Steps to Secure Your E-commerce Website Against Cyberthieves

5 Steps to Secure Your E-commerce Website Against Cyberthieves who primarily target small online businesses. Make sure your E-commerce website is safe!

E-commerce sites have become an increasingly lucrative target for cyberthieves. Last year, global e-commerce sales passed the $22 trillion mark, an increase of 6 percent from 2015, eMarketer reported. By 2020, online sales will exceed $27 trillion.

With the continual rise of e-commerce sales, cyberthieves have increasingly targeted online businesses, especially small businesses that may not have the best security measures in place. For online business owners, security has become an urgent priority.

Here are five steps you can take to keep your e-commerce website secure from Cyberthieves.

1. Don’t Collect Unnecessary Information

One of the most fundamental rules of online security is that you don’t collect information you can’t protect. The Federal Trade Commission recommends adopting this policy as your first line of cyber defense. In other words, avoid collecting personal information you don’t need.

For instance, don’t collect customer credit card information and instead use an offsite third-party payment processor like PayPal. When you need to collect sensitive information, use it appropriately and then store that information away from public eye or discard of it entirely through use of a shredder.

2. Use Encryption

The information you collect should be protected by another basic security measure: encryption. Web hosting provider Hostgator recommends using encryption to protect your network connection. You can also invest in a secure sockets layer certificate, allowing you to feature an HTTPS prefix on your domain, which will reassure the public that your website is secure.

You can also incorporate encryption by requiring your employees to use a VPN connection when connecting to your network from mobile devices. Additionally, you can use encryption to protect files in storage on your network as well as files stored in desktop and mobile devices, files being shared between users and through email.

3. Adopt Secure Passwords

Password adoption is another essential part of website security. Require the use of secure passwords of at least 12 to 14 characters, with a mixture of capital and small letters, numbers and symbols. Make sure secure passwords are being used for network devices, including routers and printers as well as any mobile devices connecting to your network.

Require both employees and customers to use secure passwords. Enhance password security by requiring two-factor authentication, which supplements passwords with other means of authentication such as PIN numbers, fingerprint scans or facial recognition.

4. Routinely Update Your Software

Another essential step is keeping all network software updated. Outdated software can contain vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. Thus, make sure all operating systems and applications stay updated with the latest versions available on the market. Antivirus patches must also be updated regularly. Schedule automated updates to make sure all devices on your system remain current.

5. Schedule Automatic Data Backups

Despite your best precautions, there’s always a chance that your network may be breached. Thus, it’s vital to have a data recovery plan in place in order to avoid losing invaluable data about your company and customers. An integral part of a data recovery plan is making sure your files are backed up. The best way to do this is to schedule automated data backups with a cloud-based service like Mozy, which uses military-grade encryption to ensure hackers can’t access your backups.

As a best practice, store three copies of your data in at least two different fashions (i.e., one copy in the cloud and one on a disc), with an additional copy being stored at a different physical location than your office.