One of the most important aspects of eCommerce web development is security, yet it’s also one of the most overlooked. This is especially true if you’re building an eCommerce website for yourself or your company, as you’ll almost certainly be dealing with payments and credit card details, which must be kept secure at all times. Your clients don’t want to be concerned about their information being stolen, nor do they want to believe that by using your site, they are putting their information at risk.

1) Update your theme

Keeping your project as safe as possible will help protect you and your users from danger, no matter how big or little it is. Never use admin as a username—the it’s equivalent of leaving your front door unlocked. Adding extra layers of security, such as two-factor authentication on sign-in, can also help protect data. Authy, for example, provides two-factor authentication for free, while other services may require money based on their needs.

2) Keep your plugins up to date

One of the first things you should do before starting to develop your site is make sure all of your plugins are up to current. Because outdated plugins and other website programs might serve as entry points for hackers and malware, it’s critical to think about security before going live with your store. Aside from keeping things up to date, only use trusted plugins from a reputable source.
Most eCommerce software vendors recommend third-party add-ons that match their basic requirements, but do your homework! There are a plethora of free resources available for staying on top of everything security-related in WordPress development. It’s never too early to learn about online safety precautions.

3) Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Most of us are aware of the need of using strong passwords and changing them frequently. 2FA, or two-factor authentication, allows users to add a physical device that only they have, such as a fingerprint or an iPhone, to their passwords. While 2FA is supported by many banking websites and some email services (such as Gmail), it is not supported by all ecommerce sites.
Take a look at your favorite purchasing sites to see if they support it. Use a password manager like LastPass or 1Password to add another layer of security to what you already have. These tools will help you generate unique passwords for each site you visit.

4) Use HTTPS Protocol

As more people want to shop online, eCommerce web development is becoming more popular. In fact, according to market research firm Statista, e-commerce platforms accounted for 51 percent of all online sales in 2017. If you’re a small business owner considering launching an e-commerce website, keep in mind that you’ll be disclosing a lot of personal information to potential clients.
Although it may appear paradoxical, installing the HTTPS protocol is one technique to safeguard the security of your website. The HTTPS protocol encrypts all data sent from a user’s computer to a server hosting an HTTPS site, making it nearly impossible for third parties to access or manipulate anything passed between them.

5) Monitor login attempt

When it comes to securing your website, creating strong, unique passwords is an obvious first step. Many users, however, neglect to use two-factor authentication on their accounts. Monitor login attempts and create unique passwords for each of your users to securely secure your site. This can help protect against bots, which are becoming more capable of imitating human actions online, such as password attempts.

Hackers will be unable to log in without a username or any other information about the account using two-factor authentication. Controlling access to your admin panel is another important security feature: Keep track of who should have access and withdraw rights as employees leave or contractors complete jobs.

Consider adopting VPN technology as an extra layer of security to ensure that all traffic from your network is routed through a secure encrypted tunnel. This manner, even if they manage to obtain access to one account or another, someone who doesn’t have authorization won’t be able to see anything they shouldn’t see.

6) Check customer data against breach list

It’s only a matter of time after your website is online before someone tries to hack it. If you don’t want to pay for security software, one of several online breach lists is a good alternative. You can check client data against these databases every few months to see whether any of your customers’ information has been compromised as a result of an attack.

Account takeover is feasible for your site even if your servers aren’t successfully breached, because many hacks use an existing customer’s login data. It may seem excessive, but considering that Dropbox spends $40 million per year to keep their service secure (according to Wired), there’s no reason not to spend some money here.

To avoid being hacked, limit who has access to your system and implement two-factor authentication whenever possible. Also, make sure your content management system is always up to date, and keep an eye on your users for suspicious behavior—just because they’re on your site doesn’t imply they work there! Backups are your friend, as always; keep them offsite in case of disaster so you don’t lose important data or time recovering from an attack.

7) Limit functionality for non-members

This is a simple security tip that doesn’t necessitate significant changes to your website. If you have a membership site, don’t include any feature or material that requires a user login. This lowers your risk and reduces the possibility of malicious actors exploiting you. Even if you don’t run a membership site, adding it to your business for increased protection is a good idea. Allow non-members to search for items, for example, because they won’t be able to see all of your stuff unless they join!

8) Scrutinize links before clicking on them

Malicious links in emails and social media postings might direct you to websites that try to steal your personal information or install malware on your device. Hover over a link in an email, a social media message, or a website before clicking on it. There’s a significant possibility it’s not legitimate if there’s no underlining beneath it and no context-sensitive wording like Visit or See appears when you do so.

Always enter in a fresh site address rather than clicking on a link embedded in an email message if you must click on an unfamiliar link from an email or anywhere else. This prevents dangerous websites from being saved to your browser’s history. It also keeps track of each site you visit by bookmarking them with unique addresses, providing more detailed information about your online activities.

Check the reputation of any online service using your favorite search engine before utilizing it. Look for forums where people are complaining about similar services ripping them off, or see if anyone is discussing it on Reddit or other discussion boards. You might acquire useful information on how they utilize (or don’t use) their services, as well as probable fraud reports that can help you spot fraudsters quickly.

9) Avoid Phishing Attacks

Phishing assaults have advanced to the point where even the most expert web users can be fooled. If you’re considering becoming an ecommerce merchant or already sell things on your website, knowing how to avoid phishing assaults is essential. Phishing is one of the most common security risks on today’s websites, but there are some basic precautions you can take to protect your clients.
Check for an SSL certificate before supplying any personal information online, for example, to guarantee that your clients aren’t exchanging their credit card information with harmful third parties without their knowledge. A site that appears shady or lacks an SSL certificate should be avoided at all costs.

10) Use Unique Usernames & Passwords

Never use the same login credentials for more than one website. Hackers enjoy testing stolen credentials on different websites to check if they work. However, because you use unique passwords, you can safeguard not only your site’s accounts, but also your personal email accounts and banking services. It’s an extra layer of protection that makes it far more difficult for hackers to compromise sensitive data.
You can keep all of your strong passwords in one place if you use a password manager like LastPass or 1Password. It protects everything from bank account credentials to social media identities, making it much less likely that a single exploit could compromise every key area of your life.