E-commerce websites are common targets for cybercriminals because they store large amounts of financial and personal information for customers and suppliers. A data breach on an e-commerce website would cause significant disruption to the daily operations of the business, result in potential financial losses, and possibly damage the brand’s reputation through loss of customer trust. Recovering from a data breach or a similar cyber attack can be very costly and time consuming, so all e-commerce businesses should have effective cyber security measures in place to mitigate the risks of online crime.
Here at fatBuzz, we work with the National Cyber Resilience Centre, the Cyber Resilience Centre for London and the South East Cyber Resilience Centre, so we fully understand the importance of protecting your business and its assets from cybercriminals. In this blog, we discuss the types of cybercrime that threaten e-commerce businesses, how to protect your website and other online resources from these criminals, and what to do you if you think you may have experienced a security breach.
The Most Common E-Commerce Security Risks
The current top cybersecurity threats to e-commerce businesses are:
1. E-Skimming
This is a major security risk for e-commerce websites as it involves criminals illegally capturing the personal and financial information of customers as they enter it into checkout pages on online shopping websites in real-time. Once the criminal has gained access to your company’s online system, usually via a successful phishing attempt, they will introduce a “skimming code” that will either redirect your customers to a fake website that replicates yours where they will enter their information thinking they are making a purchase on your website or they will simply steal your customer’s card information from your own checkout page.
2. Phishing
Perhaps one of the most common cyber security attacks in the UK, Phishing is a huge threat to e-commerce businesses. Social engineering is one of primary forms of phishing used by criminals to attack customers of e-commerce businesses. They will use fraudulent messages or emails to trick your customers into thinking you, a trusted source, have invited them to share your personal and financial information such as passwords, addresses, or card details. Once they have successfully achieved this, criminals will use this data to gain illegal access into one or more of your customers’ accounts.
Phishing poses so many threats to a business as a successful attempt can lead to an even larger data breach that can result in access to your website and online systems being shared on the dark web, opening your business up to multiple cybercriminals.
3. Malware
E-commerce websites are significant targets of cybercriminals who use malware. Malware is a malicious software used by criminals to infect a computer or mobile device and can obtain information, access credentials, and redirect users to fake websites. Malware will then allow attackers to carry out further attacks such as phishing and e-skimming and can also block access to your website and systems, making it incredibly difficult for you to recover it.
4. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
An XSS attack involves a criminal planting a malicious code onto the website of an e-commerce business which will expose anyone who visits the website to various cyber-attacks, including phishing and malware. Users who visit your website will have their device automatically infected by the code which will allow criminals to access their personal and financial information. The most common XSS attacks are carried out on unprotected public systems such as forums, message boards, and webpages that allow users to comment.
Protecting Your E-Commerce Business from Cyber Threats
As an e-commerce business, you can protect yourself from cybercrime by implementing robust security measures and helping your colleagues and customers become more cyber aware and vigilant. Perhaps the most important step to take is employing secure and encrypted connections (SSL/TLS) to protect your customer’s sensitive data while they are checking out on your website. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) should be used to secure access to all of your online systems and prevent illegal access being granted. Make sure your software is regularly updated to minimise vulnerabilities and invest in reliable anti-virus solutions that will promptly detect and block malicious activity. Having a Web Maintenance & Support contract in place with your web services provider is crucial in preventing cyber-attacks. A web maintenance and support service will ensure regular security virus checks, plugin updates, bug fixes, daily backups, and database updates on your website; all of which can help reduce the risk of a cybercriminal accessing your website.
Ensure that your staff is highly educated on the threats of cybercrime by explaining how phishing, social engineering, and other cyber threats work and the steps they can take to prevent them. This is critical in preventing human errors that could lead to your website and systems becoming compromised.
Additionally, conduct regular audits, back up your data, and have a comprehensive incident response plan in place that will allow you to identify, mitigate, and recover from attacks as quickly as possible. We also recommend working with cyber security experts, such as your local CRC network, to stay up to date on the latest threats and how to prevent or overcome them.
What to Do If You Have Experienced an Attack
If you believe you may have experienced a cyberattack, it is important to act quickly to minimise damage and recover your website, data, or systems. Prevent further unauthorised access by disconnecting your affected system from the internet to contain the attack, then you must notify your internal or external IT team and cybersecurity provider who will then assess the severity of the attack and advise on the next steps.
If personal data is involved, you must comply with data protection laws and notify the affected parties and provide them with guidance on what they should do next to protect themselves, such as monitoring their accounts for suspicious activity.
Consult a cyber security expert, such as your local CRC, to help you strengthen the security of your system by identifying and fixing vulnerabilities, resetting passwords, and updating software to prevent future attacks.
Safeguarding your e-commerce website from cybercrime by investing in good cybersecurity measures, educating your staff, staying informed about the most recent cyber-attacks, and having a well-maintained website are instrumental in reducing vulnerabilities in your system and ensuring your business’ reputation stays intact. Prioritising cybersecurity is not just a defence mechanism for your business, it’s an important tool for ensuring long-term success for your business operating in an online marketplace.
Here at fatBuzz, our web maintenance team are dedicated to making sure your website is always safe and secure from cybercrime. If you would like to have a chat about our web maintenance and support services, we would be more than happy to discuss this with you so give us a call at 0141 247 0727 or email martin@fatbuzz.com and we can arrange a meeting.