People can make money on the internet. There are plenty of ways to do this, but one of the best ways to build a lasting business on the internet is through the creation of an eCommerce website. ECommerce website basically stores on the internet. They can sell a few specific goods or they can sell a wide variety of products.

The eCommerce website usually acts as a middleman. They build a website that advertises the products that are for sale. People visit the website and find the items they want to purchase. They complete the transaction on the eCommerce website and pay for the product and for the delivery of the product. The websites work with suppliers that package the orders and ship the products to the customers. ECommerce websites collect private information from the customers. Hackers work to get that information from the websites. If they do not have security measures in place, the eCommerce site is susceptible to hackers and from people trying to commit fraud. Many people who run the eCommerce websites are not familiar with how to protect their website. These are some of the things they need to know.

Plan the Website

Advertisers for some internet platforms talk about how easy it is to create a website. They claim it is possible to have a website up and running in a few minutes. That is probably true, but that does not mean it is the website that a person wants to have. The creation of an eCommerce website requires some planning. Part of that planning involves eCommerce security. These are steps that a site can take to protect the private information that the site collects in the course of business.

8 Things to Plan For

The plan for an eCommerce website includes more than 8 things, but when it comes to security, these are the most important steps to take.

1. Find a Platform - Some websites offer platforms for little or no cost. They talk about ease of setup. Before choosing a platform for the eCommerce website, consider other things that are more important. Take some time to see what kind of security measures the platform offers and learn how they work.

2. Use an SSL for all Transactions – When people see the address for a website it starts with http://. This is what an unsecured website address will begin with. A secure website begins with https://. The extras are because of a safe secure layer certificate. It is something that many people look for before providing private information and a must of any eCommerce site.

3. Only Keep Essential Information – Websites collect a lot of information about the people who visit them. They do not need all the private information they collect. An eCommerce site should only keep the information it needs to conduct business. Saving any information such as credit card numbers or bank account numbers increases the threats to the website.

4. Security for Credit Card Transactions – The easiest way to collect money on an eCommerce website is through credit card transactions. It is the eCommerce websites responsibility to protect the credit card information they collect. The first line of defense is the SSL certificate. Further defense against emerging threats from hackers and fraud comes from complying with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. These are a set of directives that set the standards for businesses that engage in credit card transactions. It provides a game plan for anyone starting an eCommerce business.

5. Have Password Standards – An internet search for most commonly used passwords will surprise many people. People use passwords such as 1234, their name or even the word password. These are the first things hackers will try. A website should encourage their customers to build strong passwords that include numbers, characters, capital letters, special characters and that are a minimum length.

6. Secure Your Network by Detecting Threats – The use of an open source intrusion detection system like Snort will help the company in protecting their networks from various threats. These types of systems are kept up to date on the way that people are using to get information from eCommerce websites. They can watch for potential problems before they happen and stop them before any damage takes place. Businesses that use this resource are proactively protecting their business instead of reacting to issues.

7. Monitor Customer Activity – Tracking how the customer uses a website and what they are buying is a smart move for any eCommerce website. It gives them insight on how to improve the website to increase sales while also helping with threat detection from hackers and people committing fraud.

8. Back up information – All the information that the website collects should be backed up in another location apart from the website. This allows the website to repair any damage a hacker causes or when information is lost due to other problems with the website.

The first step for cybersecurity for a website is the planning. There is something else that a successful website has to do after the planning.

Implementation and Monitoring

A plan is good, but it is not effective if it is not followed. Once a person has found the tools they need for security, they have to make sure they are in place on the website. The only problem that websites run into is that hackers and people who commit fraud through eCommerce websites that adapt to the security measure in place. They know the tools that eCommerce sites use to protect their customer’s information and work to find ways around them. An eCommerce website must constantly monitor the activity on the website and should always keep their security measures up to date.

ECommerce websites are a great way to make money when done right. They are so good that people are creating them at a rapid rate. A good website is only as good as the security they provide for their customers. If the customers don’t feel safe and secure when they use a website, they can find another eCommerce website that they are comfortable with. It does not take long for an eCommerce website to develop a bad reputation for security that causes it to lose business. By using the tools above and remaining vigilant, an eCommerce website can keep the customers they have and build their business to what they want.