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Rachel Rowely
Rachel Rowely

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E-commerce Security Basics: How to Start with E-commerce Security

When it comes to security and maintenance of an e-commerce, a lot of store owners fail. Why? Mainly because it requires undivided focus and a continuous effort. You can solve the problem a great deal by getting a security tool that automates the process for you.

That being said, there are steps that can help you in preventing security threats to a certain extent. Today, in this post, we are going to look at the different dimensions of e-commerce security and the proven measures that enhance it.

Studies have shown that approximately

  • 54% of e-commerce stores have faced at least one cyber-attack.
  • only 38% of these stores were successful in handling the attacks.
  • 60% of small businesses close down permanently within six months of a cyberattack.

The statistics are scary. But this shouldn’t stop you from owning your dream e-commerce store. And after you have ensured the following security measures are in place, you would not need to.

How to Ensure Protection From E-commerce Threats

1. Invest in Top-notch Security

It is very important to invest in good security software and applications. There are so many tools required for airtight security like firewalls, scanners, malware removal, antivirus, etc. Instead of getting all these tools separately, it is wiser to get a single application to do all the work.
It is equally important to ensure that all these tools run in their latest versions. Routine updating, scanning, and backing up of data is very essential. As we know VOIP is the future of business communication, and we should take it from well known VoIP Providers to avoid any secuirty threats related to communication.

2. Become PCI Compliant

To prevent credit card frauds, a council of major credit card companies was formed. They established a set of guidelines called PCI DSS (Payment card Council data security standards). It is mandatory to follow these guidelines if your e-commerce allows credit-card transactions.

12 Requirements of PCI DSS, Source: Cobalt.io

3. Install SSL Certificate

An SSL Certificate ensures that sensitive data, like credit card information, is sent across the internet in encrypted form. It makes accessing sensitive information a difficult task for hackers. An added benefit is that websites with an SSL certification rank better and get more online traffic.

4. Secure Payments with CVV and Use AVS

Card Verification Value (CVV) is a unique three or four-digit number printed on credit cards. You can make it mandatory for the customers to enter the CVV when they are paying using credit cards. This way, you can ensure the customer is the cardholder.
Often hackers extract credit card numbers off the internet. However, they cannot use these for purchasing from your e-commerce store, if you ask for the CVV.
Using Address Verification Service (AVS) can help detect fraudulent orders and scams and. AVS compares the address of the credit card holder and the address provided by the customer.

5. Digital Signatures

A digital signature is just like a handwritten signature, unique to the signer. A private key is produced using mathematical algorithms when the document is electronically signed. This technique is adopted to certify the confidentiality and authenticity of the document. Digital signature can be used as a payment security measure, to ensure that sensitive data can only be accessed by authorized people.

6. Opt for Signature on Deliver

Scammers claim to have not received the goods they purchased, even after receiving them. They do this because the e-commerce store owes them compensation under these circumstances. To avoid this, it is best to ask for the recipient's signature on delivery.

Conclusion

In order to ensure security for your e-commerce store there are a couple of things you need to take into consideration. This post lists the essentials that goes into maintaining notch security on your site.

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