As a result of the ease with which anybody may start an online store, the way we do business has undergone significant change. Customers no longer need to visit physical storefronts to locate and purchase products; they can get whatever they want to be delivered to their doorstep from the convenience of their homes. However, since the rise of online shopping, there have been increasing e-commerce security threats as well. In fact, in recent years, it has evolved into one of the most vulnerable sectors to cyberattacks. According to Juniper Research research, the eCommerce business suffers up to 32.4 percent of all successful attacks each year.
An online shop is vulnerable to possible eCommerce hazards whenever it is exposed to danger to its security. An online retailer is at risk of losing money, personal information, or their whole business due to these threats. Cybercriminals and the general population both commit money theft via phishing assaults and the placement of pointless adverts as part of the ecommerce problems.
Retailers and their go-to-market teams face many challenges due to the bots and fraudulent users that account for approximately a third of all ecommerce traffic. This results in fraudulent leads, items selling out in seconds before actual buyers have an opportunity to purchase the product, and misalignment of marketing metrics due to bot traffic.
This article focuses on some of the most common dangers that e-commerce marketers face today and recommendations on how to cope with them.
1. Browser Hijacking
Malicious individuals might put up calls to action that seem legal but are really destructive links. An unintended virus download occurs when the link is clicked on. So the user’s data and personal information are exposed to hackers.
Fraudsters go to great lengths to make their harmful links look real in order to get you to click on them. They often resemble a retail firm and offer exceptional discounts or alluring deals. This might have a negative impact on client loyalty and trust.
There is also the possibility that some of an ecommerce site’s affiliates and partners’ pop-up ads or adverts on its website might be fraudulent links. There are affiliate links on the right-hand side of this page, which may or may not be legitimate, depending on the publisher.
Solution
Customers expect retailers to verify the legitimacy of all adverts and pop-ups on their websites. In the event that they are dealing with affiliates, they should be explicit with those partners about the sort of ads they will and will not accept.
A retailer may notify the platform where the problem was seen if they observe other marketers competing against their company name. The links also seem to point to suspicious sources. When it comes to advertising, this may be anything from Google ads to LinkedIn ads to Facebook ads.
2. An SQL Injection Exploit
SQL injection is among the most standard E-commerce security threats. An SQL injection attack occurs when a hacker inserts malicious code into a database. Private information, such as credit card numbers, may be accessed using this code. As a result of SQL injection attacks, it is conceivable that data is lost or the database is taken over.
A hacker may, for example, get access to the credit card information of every customer who has ever bought from an online firm by introducing dangerous code into the database. There are a number of ways this information might be used to create false accusations or sell it illegally.
Solution
In order to contain SQL injection exploits, you must use input validation and parameterized searches using prepared statements. In addition to this, single quotes and other possibly hazardous code components must be deleted. It’s a good idea to turn off the display of database errors on your live website. Using SQL injection, you may get insight into your company’s database by taking advantage of faults in the database.
If you discover a SQL injection vulnerability, it’s possible that you won’t be able to fix it right away. Using a WAF (Web Application Firewall) to manually sanitize your input is an option in this situation.
3. Deceitful Representation
As a general rule, bots and malicious users are the most common culprits when it comes to deceitful representation. Information manipulated to make one person seem to have distinct characteristics than they do is not the same as merely using a private browser or a proxy.
A rogue bot or criminal individual may use deceitful representation to seem like a real customer on an ecommerce site. This makes them more difficult to identify when navigating a website, and they may engage in fraud.
Solution
Due to the nature of false representations, it might be tough for the untrained eye to recognize them. Cybersecurity and IT solutions are often required to find them in real-time. A user may be tracked or barred from returning to a specific website if they engage in fraudulent conduct while hiding their true identity behind fake representations.
4. Fraud with Credit Cards
Both computers and genuine humans commit credit card fraud. Nonetheless, if an unauthorized attacker acquires the credit card and uses it to make a purchase on a specific website, the actual cardholder may dispute the charge. This is good for the end user, but not for e-commerce. Inventories that are lost without recompense are lost permanently. Moreover, assume a computer does many large-scale purchases on a website using a fraudulent credit card. In such a circumstance, it incurs expenditures for the business and depletes inventory for paying customers.
Solution
First, ensure the security of your point-of-sale system. Precautions might also be made to ensure the security of products in order to avoid fraud from causing significant revenue losses. You may prevent future transactions made by malicious persons. Finally, consider implementing fraud management solutions and strategic risk services to manage and adapt to threats in real time.
5. Commandeering User Accounts
Bots and other harmful users may take over the accounts of normal users by hacking into them. This is common across various services, including social networking, email, and even banking.
In order to make buying, shipping, and payment simpler for returning consumers, many ecommerce companies enable customers to log in to their accounts. However, if a bad individual hacks the account, the company and the client might suffer. The account holder may not be aware of the costs accruing in these accounts.
Solution
If safeguards are in place, criminals are much less likely to hijack accounts. There are several things that may make it more difficult for malevolent users to get through to the other side, such as CAPTCHA submissions, security questions, and complicated passwords.
Stay Protected By Using The Right CMS Platform
Various cyberattacks may occur on an e-commerce website. This is why the first step in preventing harmful and unlawful actions is to educate people about the dangers they face. Monitoring user behavior, validating client IDs, and screening for unusual behavior are effective ways to combat this issue. In addition, early detection of a security issue is crucial for precautionary measures to be taken.
However, to ensure you are able to use relevant security plug-ins and in-built security features on your website, you need to use the right CMS. Magento and Shopify are extremely useful and can help you stay safe and keep offering impeccable services to your clientele.
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Rohan Doshi is the Founder & CEO of Navigate Ecommerce, an e-commerce firm that provides a fully digital solution. He is an eCommerce wizard with the ability to bridge the gap between IT and business.
