An e-commerce data breach is not unheard of. Some e-commerce companies already experienced a data breach. What does this mean? And who is affected?
e-Commerce Data Breach
Yes, e-commerce companies rely heavily on the internet, digital technologies, and web applications. They use these technologies to store their data online. This data is valuable to the company as well as to those who want to steal it.
Some e-commerce companies store their data in a cloud or a web application. They rely on the security of this web application to protect their customers’ data. But the bad news is, this security is not enough to prevent a cyber attack.
In some cases, hackers do not need to break the security of a website or a web application. They can also access the data by injecting malicious code into the software of a web application. This is called a SQL Injection Attack.
In the past, there have been several reported cases of e-commerce companies being hacked and their customers’ credit card details being stolen from them. These incidents show that e-commerce companies need to be more proactive in protecting their customers’ data from being stolen by hackers.
e-Commerce Data Breach: What Can You Do?
If you have an e-commerce site, you have to be extra careful with securing your customers’ credit card details and other personal information. Here are some of the best practices you can implement:
- Ensure your web application is up to date. Make sure it is not vulnerable to attacks like SQL Injection Attacks.
- Use firewalls and other security tools to prevent unauthorized access to your network.
- Ensure that all the software you use is secure and free from any malicious codes.
- Make a backup of your data in case you need to roll back any changes.
- Lastly, if you store your customers’ credit card details in your database, make sure to encrypt it with a strong algorithm. This is especially true if you are storing sensitive data like credit card details.
You can also consider using a payment gateway to help you process payments on your e-commerce website. For instance, there are payment gateways that come with security features that will protect your customers’ data from being stolen by hackers.
A Word of Warning
Despite all of these security measures, it is still very risky to store customers’ credit card details on your database. You may be asking yourself, “Why?” Well, even if you are using the most secure payment gateway, this does not mean that everyone is safe from being affected by a data breach.
Another reason why it is risky to store customers’ credit card details on your database is because of the new Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This standard requires merchants to maintain their systems in compliance with security standards. They have to do this to protect customers’ credit card details from being stolen by cybercriminals online.
So what can e-commerce companies do? They have to find a more secure way to store customers’ credit card details while at the same time helping them comply with PCI DSS standards. This new method helps merchants eliminate the risk of storing this information and at the same time helps them comply with PCI DSS requirements.
