For online shop owners, it’s stressful to run the logistics and manage customer service and sales. While you’re buried in marketing reports and product photos and invoices from freightliners, one important aspect of your business is definitely being overlooked and in 2023, it’s non-negotiable: Website Security.
Security is key for ecommerce businesses, as online transactions make these companies particularly susceptible to data breaches and other security problems. Your job as a business owner is to protect your company’s data, your customers’ data, and ensure that your site isn’t being used as a gateway for hackers to access private information.
While things like your site’s SSL certificate and two-factor authorization on passwords can help, you’ll also want to be aware of the plugins and integrations your site runs on, and ensure it’s backed up and updated, too.
We’ll run you through the steps to ensure your site is as secure as possible, and offer some suggestions to monitor and manage security long term.
Secure Hosting and SSL Certificates
When you choose the hosting provider for your ecommerce store, security should be your top priority – not just price and performance. A secure server will protect your customer’s data and your own from infiltration. By hosting your store on a secure server, you can greatly reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents. Usually, a hosting provider focused on security will offer security support features as well.
SSL Certificates: Your SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificates encrypt sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, to ensure that it can only be read by the intended recipients. This helps to prevent data theft and unauthorized access to sensitive information. Additionally, SSL certificates can also be used to validate the identity of the website, providing an added layer of security for your customers.
Dedicated IP address: A dedicated IP address is assigned specifically to your website and is not shared with any other websites. This helps to prevent unauthorized access to your website and ensures that yours is not affected by security issues on other websites that may share the same IP address.
Regular Updates to Site, Theme, and Plugins
If you want to keep your site secure, you’re going to need to keep it updated. Regular updates ensure that all software, including WordPress itself, your site’s Theme, and your instance of WooCommerce, is running the latest version. This is important because older versions of software may contain known vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. By keeping your software up to date, you can keep your site locked down and prevent sneak attacks.
In addition to updating the core software, it’s important to keep all plugins and themes updated as well. These updates not only improve the functionality of your website but also provide important security patches that help to protect against known vulnerabilities. In the reverse, a theme or plugin that is out of date could be inviting nasty viruses and naughty hackers into your ecosystem.
Using Caution with Plugins and APIs
Integrations with other tools are a great aspect of WordPress and WooCommerce, as they can help your site do more, optimize for marketing efforts, and automate tasks. They are easy, efficient building blocks to make your site more powerful. However, it’s important to choose plugins and API integrations wisely. If you plug random tools and applications into your website with little care for their origins or intentions, you’re basically opening windows and letting burglars into your house.
Do your research. While it’s not always the other tool or application’s fault, connections create opportunities for breaches. In any case, it’s important to be thoughtful about what you’re plugging your site into, or what you’re plugging into your site. This includes researching the developer and the plugin or API’s reputation, reading reviews and user feedback, and checking for any reported security mishaps.
Keep it light. It’s also important to keep in mind that not all plugins and integrations are necessary for your ecommerce site, so you should only use the ones that will truly benefit your business. Furthermore, you should regularly monitor your integrations and remove any that you’re not using or have phased out.
Backup and Recovery
Regular backups not only ensure that your site works, but they also keep your site more secure.
In the event of a security breach, having a backup from before the incident occurred can be crucial in restoring your site to its pre-breach state without massive loss of data, function, or content. It is also important to have a disaster recovery plan in place so that you can quickly and effectively restore your site to a safe version. This can save you valuable time and resources in the long run.
Identifying and flagging a safe backup and recovery point can be difficult, but there are tools available to help. These tools can automate the backup process, making it easier to identify the most recent safe backup and recovery point. Additionally, they can help you to schedule regular backups, ensuring that you always have a recent copy of your site to fall back on. You never want to face the white screen of death, or any other website fallout, without a previous version to fire up.
Firewall and Malware Scanning
Firewall and malware scanning are wise security measures for any ecommerce website, including those using WooCommerce.
Firewalls are safeguards that block unauthorized access to your site by monitoring incoming and outgoing traffic. The “wall” acts as a barrier between your site and potential attackers, making it difficult for them to sneak in.
Regular malware scanning is essential, too. Malware, short for malicious software, can include viruses, trojans, worms, and other types of harmful software that can damage your site or steal sensitive information. By regularly scanning your site for malware, you can ensure that you’re not accepting viruses into your ecosystem or passing them onto customers.
Monitoring for suspicious activity will also help you keep your ecommerce site secure. This includes monitoring for unusual traffic patterns, login attempts, and other signs of potential breaches. You can assign this task to a human but it’s easier if you automate it. Site monitoring tools can detect and alert you to suspicious activity, allowing you to take action quickly to prevent a security incident.
Strong Passwords and 2FA
To ensure the security of personal information and prevent unauthorized access to payment and billing data, addresses, or other private information, you should require strong passwords on all staff logins and all customer logins.
A strong password should be at least 12 characters long and include a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using easily guessed information such as birthdays, names, and common words.
In addition to using strong passwords, implementing two-factor authentication (2FA) can provide an extra layer of security. 2FA requires users to provide a second form of verification, such as a code sent to a phone or biometric authentication, in addition to their password. This helps prevent unauthorized access even if a password is compromised or stolen.
Take the necessary steps to secure your ecommerce business. You can manually build processes and workflows to monitor and maintain your website, or you can get help.
We’re CoSpark, and we offer a variety of tools and services for WooCommerce sites. If you operate on WooCommerce and want to prioritize security this year, consider our WooCommerce Maintenance Plans. This option includes a comprehensive review of your current security measures and suggestions for improvements, as well as ongoing monitoring to ensure your site stays protected.
Don’t wait until it’s too late, take action now to protect your business and your customers from potential threats to their security.
