What you should know about E-Commerce security
IT security has become an issue for many SMEs who sell goods and services on their websites. E-Commerce websites open up the opportunity increase sales but many businesses’ fear of hacking and other information security issues prevent them from taking the plunge.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protected pages enable browsers to identify the server as a trusted entity and ensure privacy and authentication through a protected encryption. Obtaining an authorised SSL certificate is the first step to safeguarding transactions online.
Aside from the obvious SSL certificate, there are other concerns that still play on the minds of business owners. So what are these concerns? And what else do businesses have to be aware of?
Hacking
More than 46 per cent of online businesses identified hacking as the number one security concern over the past year, according to the 2010 Sensis e-Business report. Hackers, fraudsters and privacy intruders can work out ways to track your customers’ shopping and surfing habits by monitoring cookies. More importantly, some hackers can block the websites that your customers frequently open or visit.
What’s the solution? Tell your customers to delete all cookies – including tracking cookies – from their web browser after banking or shopping online. You should delete cookies from your browser also. Web browsers can also be optimised to prevent slow browsing issues.
Data Theft
Although online banking and shopping is very convenient, sometimes insufficient security measures can leave your customers’ personal and confidential information vulnerable to hackers, cybercriminals and privacy intruders.
What’s the solution? Protect your business and your customers against identity or data theft by safeguarding private and confidential information. The best way to do this is to configure a firewall on your PC, encrypt important files and folders, and turn on the phishing filter.
Online Credit Card Fraud
It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced online store owner or are new to e-commerce, you should know how to detect fraudulent credit card transactions. Online credit card fraud is steadily increasing and you need to ensure that your credit card information remains in safe hands.
What’s the solution? The best solution is to remove system restore points by cleaning up the disk space. This is beneficial as hackers or privacy intruders will be unable to track your activities.
Virus Threats
Viruses, malware and adware are all information-gathering programs and usually run in the background without your customers consent or knowledge. These programs monitor their online activities, shopping habits and other details and are capable of tracking user credit card information, passwords and bank account details.
What’s the solution? Minimise security risks by installing an antivirus program to protect your computer from viruses, spyware, malware and adware.
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