“There are risks and costs to a program of action–but they are far less than the long-range cost of comfortable inaction.” — John F. Kennedy

It is relatively straightforward to set up an eCommerce store these days. However, it is not so simple to keep your store safe from hackers and fraudsters. It is a serious matter when a global corporation’s data gets hacked, but as a small business owner, your cyber defences only need to be bypassed once to steal your data, business name, or even to copy your products, and you could lose your business.

John DiGiacomo believes that “you can tell a lot about how 2017 security breaches might stack up by considering the hacking statistics for 2015 and 2016.”

In essence, the rate of data breaches and hacking has grown immensely since 2015. This phenomenon has mainly been facilitated by the development of new technology and software. In order to counter the rise in hacking, etc., the cybersecurity spend has been increased; however, it’s more a case of too little, too late.

Therefore, the question that begs is how do you keep your eCommerce site protected from hackers?

Cybersecurity versus the hacker

Before we look pertinent tips to help you secure your eCommerce store, let’s look at the definitions of cybersecurity and hackers are.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is the mass of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, software and data from unauthorised access by people who wish to steal the data and use it for nefarious purposes.

Hackers and Hacking

A hacker is an individual who is ingenious and has an in-depth understanding of how to break into secure computer systems to steal the data that sits inside the computer system. They often use viruses to gain access to the computer system.

For example, the latest Ransomware worm, known as WannaCry, takes control of the computer it has infected, locking the user out until a ransom is paid. Paul Mozur, Mark Scottand VinduGoel noted that by Friday 19 May 2017, the hackers had netted about $95 000. What is particularly concerning about this worm, is that it is based on software that was stolen from United States National Security Agency.

Protecting your eCommerce store

Use a trusted eCommerce platform

When you build your store on a trusted SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) eCommerce solution, you are paying for expert developers and cybersecurity experts to keep your data safe for you. A good SaaS provider will continually monitor your store to make sure that there are no security issues. Furthermore, your service provider will deploy upgrades and security solutions to the underlying platform on which your store is built. Therefore, you do not need to worry about ensuring that your online store is secure.

Use strong passwords

One of the simplest ways of hacking your website is to use a brute force attack. In essence, the software runs through random combinations of letters and numbers into your site’s login password, hoping to crack your password. Therefore, it is important to use long, randomised passwords to make it tough for your password to be cracked during a brute force attack. Finally, it is also wise to consider changing your password every couple of months.