It often makes front page news: Sony has been hacked. Then Zappos has been hacked. It seems every few weeks another online retailer gets hacked. ECommerce has often borne the brunt of attackers’ attention. Here’s a brief overview of eCommerce security, including why and how many hackers get into eCommerce systems.
==> Why Do Hackers Target ECommerce Platforms?
Some hackers hack for glory, others do it to test their skills. At the end of the day, however, those who target eCommerce platforms by and large do it for one reason: money.
If you tried to rob a convenience store or a bank, chances are you’d never make off with more than a few thousand dollars.
On the other hand, if a hacker can successfully break into a large eCommerce website, they could easily cash in millions.
Credit card numbers can be sold on the black market. Because people often use the same logins and passwords everywhere, their login details will often match email accounts, PayPal accounts and online banking accounts, where money can be siphoned out.
Multiply this effect over a database of 5 million buyers and a hacker could easily have a multi-million dollar payday.
Unfortunately, hacking eCommerce websites is one of the most profitable forms of theft in the world.
==> What a Great Security System Does
The job of a good security system is to allow your primary systems to do everything they’re designed to do, while not letting anyone do anything it’s not designed to do.
If your security is too restrictive, it’ll get in the way of actual functioning. If it’s not strong enough, however, you’ll pay the price in security breaches.
==> How to Create High Level Security
Security breaches can either happen on your end or your client’s end. Occasionally it can happen in between.
Generally, your job is to secure your end of the transaction. Your server needs to be secure, your encryption needs to be secure, your database needs to be secure – so on and so forth.
In addition, it’s also partly your job to help users secure their end. If you’re being targeted with phishing attacks, it makes sense to inform and educate your users about how hackers are trying to gain access to their passwords.
ECommerce security requires constant vigilance. There’s no such thing as a server that’s completely secure. Instead, you have to always be on the lookout for new exploits and new ways hackers could try to break into your system.
Securing your eCommerce platform is absolutely something that needs to be done by a trained professional. If you don’t have a skilled sysadmin on hand yet, hiring one is perhaps the most important step you could take to improve your security.