In this digital world, the e-commerce industry is one of the most lucrative platforms for cyber intruders. Thus, online retailers need to be aware of the potential risks and take adequate steps to secure e-commerce platforms.
“Here, we have come up with a list of five crucial safety practices, which can help you safeguard your e-commerce site, protect it from any fraud, and maintain all the customer data confidentiality.”
Tips to safeguard your online business
Let us take a look at a list of things you should do to keep your online business secure.
Pick a Safe E-Commerce Platform
Let us start with the fundamentals first. If you get the basics right, everything else will fall into place. The first and foremost thing you need to do to maintain a secure online website is to use a safe platform. There are several proprietary and open-source platforms available for you to pick from.
Given the wide choice, picking one platform can be quite overwhelming. Regardless of the platform, you select, it is essential to ensure that it practices the right measures. A safe online platform adheres to PCI compliance, says Robert, a web developer for TFTH, a platform where you can pay to do homework.
To check this, you can run PCI scans on the server. It will help you validate whether or not your platform is PCI compliant or not. Also, ensure that you are running the latest version of every software. Whenever there is a new update available, you need to install it right away.
Implement the SSL certificates
For secure online transactions, the only de facto standard is the SSL, says Jame, an IT head with TAE. With the SSL certificate, there is authentication on the user identity. It encrypts the data in transit and in the store. SSL is vital to ensure secure connectivity between the e-commerce website and the end-user. Different range of SSL Certificates available in the current market ranging from low cost SSL to high cost. But finally, it depends on how secure it is.
For those buyers who are more tech-savvy, the HTTPs and the padlock icons present in the address bar are a prerequisite for entering the credit card information and personal details. Only when the consumer is assured that the vendor is doing everything to protect the interests of the vendors will they want to do business with them.
Opt For Two-Factor Authentication
One of the most common web safety breaches that are seen on online platforms is compromised or stolen user credentials. There are more than a few phishing ways that cybercriminals use to guess or steal valid user credentials and compromise the safety and the security of an online platform.
It is where there is a strict need for a user authentication mechanism. This is the foundational aspect of securing the online store from various hacking attempts.
A lot of e-commerce platforms incorporate dual-factor authentication as a measure to add another layer of security. It is a key security process by which the user has to provide two types of identification.
“The first one is the classic combination of the username and password and the second one is an auto-generated code sent to the user’s verified phone number.”
Two-factor authentication is necessary because even though the cybercriminals can hack or steal the password, they can never steal the code as it expires after a stipulated time, says Mathew, who offers do my paper online services.
Employ a VPN or Virtual Private Network
As an online business, you are dealing with a lot of customer-centric information. You have their personal details, and there are financial transactions involved.
Thus, you have to be very careful on public networks. When the data is transferred over a public network, it is usually susceptible to interception by malicious users. In this case, a VPN service comes handy. With a VPN, you get an encrypted connection to some secure offsite service.
Hence, this prevents a third-party from getting between the server and you. Diana, who offers the online fashion designing course with certificate, says that as the traditional VPN service is relatively costly, she uses the SSL-based VPN, which has more reasonable pricing. You can also opt for OpenVPN. It presents to you an open-source and a community-based edition, which is free for you.
Educate Your Employees and Customers
Everyone who interacts with your website needs to be educated on the policies and the laws, which negatively affect the customer data. Thus, you have to inform your clients and your employees about the prevalent safety practices. Make them aware of the steps you are taking to protect the customers’ credit card information.
You can also educate them on a few things that they can do to keep all the financial information safe. Briefly highlight the best practices of data security followed by the organization, and aware them of the sensitive information they should not disclose via chat, text, or email.
Simultaneously, the employees must also be made aware of the actions needed to keep all the data safe. Instruct them on the mandated security policies and protocols to keep the business protected from all potential legalities.
