There is no denying that the launch of new online stores can be a challenging and overwhelming experience for most business owners. Even the ones who are most confident and experienced will start to feel stressed. However, no matter how tense youare, you should never compromise on BigCommerce best security practices.
A recent report shared by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners revealed that nearly half of small businesses become victims of fraud. Unfortunately, some companies that become victims might not be able to bounce back. Therefore, we have come up with a BigCommerce security guide to make things simpler for businesses.
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Several businesses often make the grave mistake of not ensuring they have essential security measures in place when launching a BigCommerce online store. However, it is necessary to note that not focusing on security will make your online store an easy target for hackers and cybercriminals.
Hackers look for vulnerabilities in your security system and exploit them by using different techniques. If they are successful, then you may end up losing crucial business data, brand reputation, customer trust, and more.
Here are a few simple but effective tips on how you can secure your BigCommerce online store.
Read: Understanding the Latest Cybersecurity Trends
1: Implement SSL certificate to Secure Your BigCommerce Website
The first and most important thing you should do is install an SSL certificate to offer greater security to your new or existing BigCommerce website or online store. Most businesses will understand everything they do flows through wire cables and the network.
HTTP exchanges data in the form of plain text between the server and the browser. As a result, anyone who will be having access to the internet network between the browser and server will be able to view the data, which is unencrypted. Therefore, it is a sensible decision to switch to HTTPS protocol (HTTP+SSL=HTTPS). This ensures encryption of the data that gets transmitted between the web browser and the client-server. This encrypted data can only be deciphered by the intended recipient, thereby keeping out MITM attacks. It may seem like a task to choose the perfect SSL for your BigCommerce online store. We have got you covered. If you have numerous first-level subdomains under a primary domain and intend to add some more over time, you should go for a wildcard SSL certificates. This will ensure premium security for the chosen primary domain and an unlimited number of first-level subdomains under it.
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In other words, HTTP is not capable of offering adequate protection to your website or online store. As a result, if your website or online store is still using HTTP, then you are at a greater risk of sensitive business information getting exposed. Fortunately, you will be able to prevent this by switching to HTTPS.
When you switch website from HTTP to HTTPS, all your in-transit data will be encrypted. This is why enabling HTTPS is the most important thing every business should do when launching a website or online store.
Read: HTTP or HTTPS: What’s the Difference and Which One is Better to Use
2: Use CVV (Card Verification Value)
Most of you would probably be familiar with CVV or Card Verification Value. In simple words, CVV can be defined as a four or three-digit number, which is displayed on your credit or debit card. Therefore, CVV is also known as CSC ( Card Security Code), CVC ( Card Verification Code), and CVD (Card Verification Data).
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However, most people might not be aware that Card Verification Value is an anti-fraud security feature. This excellent security feature will allow users to verify that they are in possession of their credit or debit card.
In addition to that, CVV guarantees that no one will be able to illegally use your credit or debit card without having the card.
An interesting thing to note is that PCI regulations prohibit businesses from storing the CVV of customers along with their name and credit card number. This is done to ensure that the financial information of customers does not get leaked or compromised.
CVV works well to protect customer information when they are making payments. As a result, ecommerce fraudsters will not be able to obtain the data unless they have managed to steal your card.
3: Regularly Update The Software Systems
Most businesses usually contain large volumes of information regarding their company and customers. As a result, such companies are more likely to become hot targets of cybercriminals and hackers. Therefore, such businesses must take adequate security measures.
Most business owners often fail to realize that software updates are a lot more than installing new updates. In fact, keeping the software systems in your business up to date is one of the best things you can do to protect your business from cyberattacks.
Businesses should never forget that hackers have been using new and innovative methods to access your system. However, if you regularly update your business software systems, you don’t have to worry a lot.
4: Review Error Messages
It might come as a massive surprise to several readers when they hear that several businesses do not pay attention to error messages.
It is always best to double-check the error messages to ensure that you do not give away too many details. For example, if there is any mention of database passwords or API keys, it can put your business at higher risk of cyberattacks.
So, businesses of all sizes and types should check error messages and ensure that you are not giving away any such information. In addition to that, companies should consider keeping secret security information within the server logs.
Read: Linux password generator
5: Use Strong And Unique Passwords
It may seem pretty obvious when we ask you to set unique and robust passwords. However, we are stressing this point because several internet users and employees still opt for easy to hack and common passwords, resulting in severe issues if hackers attempt to hack your device or system.
It is crucial to remember that several hackers gain access to businesses websites by guessing the week and common passwords. So, if you or your employees are using weak passwords, then your business is more vulnerable to cyberattacks.
You should not just create strong and unique passwords but also consider using password managers for storing them. For example, if you are using your password to log in when you are working from a public network, then you won’t be able to tell who is recording or watching your activities.
However, if you are using a password manager, you will not have to worry about any such issue. This is because password managers will access your passwords and securely store them. So, even if someone accesses your PC, they won’t get your passwords.
6: CAPTCHA On Login And Registration Forms
Businesses that have secured their online store or websites by using strong passwords and installing SSL certificates have made things difficult for hackers. However, if you want to add extra security to your BigCommerce online store or website, you should add CAPTCHA to registration and login forms.
CAPTCHAs will protect the login forms on your website or online store against brute-force cyber-attacks. However, an issue here is that captcha tokens will remain valid once internet users solve them.
For example, Google ReCaptcha is valid for around two minutes. Unfortunately, this means that cybercriminals might attempt brute-force attempts to the login form during this period. However, you can resolve this issue by blocking failed login attempts by IP addresses.
Read: Top Guide to Increase your E-commerce Store’s Security
Wrapping Up
Apart from all the tips mentioned above, businesses should focus on one other thing to ensure optimum security: finding and choosing a secure and reliable ecommerce platform.
Choosing the right ecommerce platform will indeed depend on the specific requirements of your business. Still, it is crucial to consider the security factor when you are making a final decision.
The best thing you can do is to opt for a platform like BigCommerce that maintains PCI compliance and has extensive security measures. In addition, since the BigCommerce platform is ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified, businesses will trust the platform in terms of security.
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