Do you run or plan to launch an e-commerce website that sells laptops and accessories? If so, you’re probably aware that the online retail industry is growing at an unprecedented rate.
According to Statista, e-commerce sales are projected to exceed 8 trillion dollars by 2026. See the data below by Statista.
This growth may be good news as you can tap into the expanding e-commerce market and potentially benefit from the increasing consumer demand for online shopping. But, there is a problem.
With the growth comes an increased risk of cyber attacks. And as a savvy business owner, you’ll want to make sure that you’re running a secure online laptop selling website.
If you’ve been scratching your head about what to do about this, we’ve got your back! This guide will cover all the basics you need to know in regards to securing your online e-commerce laptop website. Let’s get started!
How do I secure my eCommerce Laptop Selling Website?
Securing your online e-commerce laptop website is crucial to protect your business from potential cyber-attacks. With so much at stake, taking the necessary steps to keep your site safe and secure is important.
But where do you start? And what are the requirements of a secure e-commerce site? Here are six easy to implement recommendations to help you get started securing your online eCommerce laptop website;
1. Secure Your E-commerce Laptop Website with SSL
One of the most important decisions you can make to secure your website and possibly, even outgrow competitors is to use SSL. This is because SSL does more than protect your website from cyber threats.
Google actually favors websites with SSL installed, so you may also enjoy a ranking/SEO advantage over competitors who don’t have SSL. What is SSL, you may ask?
SSL, short for Secure Socket Layer is a security protocol for encrypting sensitive data transferred between the website and users. In other words, SSL creates a secure connection between your website and your customers’ browsers.
This ensures that any information customers share with you via the website is encrypted and protected. Without SSL, sensitive information such as credit card numbers, login credentials, and personal details can be intercepted by hackers and used for malicious purposes.
Without encryption, hackers can access sensitive information on your website, like customer or financial information. They can also use stolen credit card information to make fraudulent purchases or steal money from your customers’ accounts.
As if that isn’t enough, hackers may use stolen credentials to launch other cyber attacks, like phishing or malware attacks, that can further compromise your website and your customer’s data. What if you have a valid SSL installed on your website?
Every data exchange between your website and customers will be encrypted and protected from prying eyes. To implement SSL on your e-commerce website, you need to buy SSL certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). Once you have purchased an SSL certificate, you will need to install it on your website. This process may vary depending on your website platform, but most platforms provide step-by-step instructions on how to do it.
2. Use a Good eCommerce Platform
Another crucial step in securing your online e-commerce laptop website is to use a secure eCommerce platform. Secure eCommerce platforms guarantee essential security features that can add a layer of safety to your website and keep customers’ data safe.
An eCommerce platform is essentially a software application that allows you to create and manage an online store. It has the tools to design and customize your online store, manage inventory, process payments, and handle customer orders.
When choosing an eCommerce platform, you’ll want to choose one with robust security features. Look for a platform that uses encryption to protect sensitive data, like credit card numbers and personal information.
The platform should also comply with industry standards, like the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Popular eCommerce platforms known for their security include Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce.
These platforms offer several beneficial security features, ranging from SSL encryption to two-factor authentication and fraud detection. But using a secure eCommerce platform is just the first step.
You also need to ensure that you keep your platform and all associated plugins and extensions up-to-date with the latest security patches. Most of these platforms, for example, WooCommerce, allow you to enable automatic updates. Failure to enable these automatic updates may leave your website vulnerable to cyber attacks.
3. Use Strong Passwords and Enable Two-factor Authentication
One of the easiest ways for cybercriminals to gain unwanted access to your online ecommerce laptop website is through weak passwords. Weak passwords can be easily hacked by cybercriminals, leaving your website and sensitive customer information vulnerable.
That’s why you must use strong, unique passwords that are difficult to guess. But even strong passwords are not safe from the cunning tricks of motivated attackers—especially in the age of sophisticated graphics-processing technology that can crack most passwords in minutes.
This is where using the two-factor authentication (2FA) comes in. 2FA comes with a code for double confirmation.
This is how it adds an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access. In this case, cyber criminals cannot access website without getting 2FA code.
Enabling two-factor authentication is a simple but very effective way to enhance the security of your online e-commerce laptop website. Many popular services, like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, offer this feature as an option, and it’s usually easy to set up.
You can also use a dedicated two-factor authentication app, like the Google Authenticator, to add an extra layer of security. Apart from the two-factor authentication, always use strong and unique passwords for all accounts associated with your website.
This runs the gamut from your hosting account, content management system, and any other tools or services you use to manage your online e-commerce laptop selling website. Do not use common words, phrases, or easily guessable information. You may actually want to use a password manager to generate and store strong passwords.
4. Train your Employees
Cybersecurity threats can attack internally and externally. Many businesses focus solely on protecting against external threats, but insider threats can be just as dangerous.
In fact, according to a near recent report by IBM, 60% of all data breaches involve insiders. Unintentional insider threats can be due to human error or just negligence.
For example, an employee may accidentally share sensitive information with the wrong person. They may also fail to properly secure their device, leaving your business website open to data breaches.
That best explains why it is equally crucial to train your employees on cybersecurity best practices. This includes teaching them how to create strong passwords, recognize phishing scams, and securely handle sensitive data.
Also, be sure to publish clear policies and procedures for accessing and handling company data. You could provide regular training sessions to ensure your employees are knowledgeable and up-to-date on cybersecurity best practices.
These sessions can cover a wide range of topics, from how to identify suspicious emails to how to store and transmit data securely. Also, be sure to put in place a clear plan for how to handle insider threats.
This may include monitoring employee activity on company devices and networks. You may also establish a process for investigating and responding to any suspected security breaches.
5. Backup your Website Regularly
Imagine spending countless hours building and optimizing your website, only to have it all disappear in a single moment due to a cyber attack or server crash. That’s a nightmare scenario you may not even want to think of, but it is one that can be avoided with regular backups.
Thankfully, backing up your website is not as complicated as it may sound. Many hosting providers offer automatic backups as part of their services.
This means you do not have to do much to set it up. Also, depending on the content management system (CMS) you’ve built your eCommerce laptop website on, you can install plugins that make it easy to back up your data with just a few clicks.
For example, WordPress has several plugins that allow easy and automatic backups. A good example is the “UpdraftPlus” plugin, which you can configure to back up your WordPress site to a cloud storage service like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Joomla is another CMS platform that boasts many backup extensions you could use, like the “Akeeba Backup.” This extension allows for full site backups and even includes a feature for automatic backups.
6. Use Web Application Firewall (WAF)
A WAF is a security tool that filters incoming traffic to your website and blocks malicious requests. It can help protect against common attacks, like cross-site scripting and SQL injection.
In cross-site scripting (XSS) an attacker would inject a malicious code into a web page viewed by other users. This can allow the attacker to steal sensitive information or take control of the user’s browser.
SQL injection, on the other hand, is where an attacker injects malicious SQL statements into your website’s input fields. These can allow attackers to access, modify, or delete sensitive data in the website’s database.
Now, to understand how a WAF works, think of it as a security guard stationed at the entrance of your website. As visitors come in, the WAF checks their requests to ensure they are legitimate and not harmful.
If a request is deemed malicious, the WAF blocks it from reaching your website, effectively preventing an attack. There are different types of WAFs available, including hardware and software-based options.
Some web hosting providers also offer WAFs as part of their services. When selecting a WAF, consider factors such as ease of implementation, level of protection, and cost.
Please, note that a WAF is not a replacement for other security measures such as strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and regular backups. However, when used in combination with these other measures, a WAF can help strengthen the security of your online laptop selling website and protect it against potential cyber threats.
It’s a Wrap!
Securing your online ecommerce laptop website is not just crucial for protecting your customers’ sensitive information. It does also help protect your business’s reputation.
Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, and without proper security measures in place, your website is vulnerable to attacks that can be severely damaging. So, take proactive steps to secure your website today. This will give your customers peace of mind when doing business with you and even help with your website’s SEO to give you a competitive advantage.