How to improve the Security of your Magento E-commerce Store?

When it comes to transactions that involve money, what is the one thing that matters the most?

Yes, you guessed it right. It is trust. The transactions between an E-com brand and its customers all over the world are bound by trust.

Given the amount of data it stores in terms of product details, monetary transactions, etc. security is a must for an e-commerce website. In fact, it is mandatory for a responsible e-commerce brand owner to protect the customer’s data saved on it.

Which e-com platform lets you offer maximum security to the customer? The answer is Magento.

It is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms available today. This is mainly because of the security measures it has taken to protect online merchants and their customers. Here are a few tips that will help you enhance the security of your Magento 2 e-commerce store.

Stay Up to Date

Let us imagine a scenario where you manufacture pens and realise that the ink in the current product tends to leak, won’t you fix the issue when you design the next pen?

Magento developers work on the same concept. When they find a bug, they devise ways to remove it and improve the product. This is presented as updates to Magento. Every Magento update improves security by reducing the platform’s vulnerability. Thus, it is harder for a hacker to attack a Magento 2 Store as compared to hacking a Magento store.

So, what should be your first step towards keeping your e-commerce website secure – always use the latest version of Magento 2.

Complicate Your Password

When it comes to product design – the simpler the design, the better it will be. But, when it comes to admin names and passwords, choosing a simple password is the worst thing you could do.

When creating an Admin name and password avoid using your name, your family member’s name, your pets name etc. These are the first few keywords a hacker will use to gain access to your website. What you should do, is choose a keyword that is symbolic to you but not directly related. Once you have the base set, complicate it as much as you can. Use a combination of uppercase letters, lower case letters, numbers and symbols.

For example, your first product may have been inspired by the Shalimar Garden. This is something you will never forget and hence ‘Shalimar’ can be a good base for your password. To create a password, rewrite the word by using the letters preceding each letter of the word. This gives you – rgzkhlzq. Looks random, doesn’t it?

Now add another layer of complication by replacing some of the letters with numbers and symbols. Your final password could look like this – Rg/kH1/q

You could use a random selection of letters, numbers and symbols as well but that might be harder to remember. Creating a password this way makes it look random but there is a process behind it that makes it easier to remember.

Customize your Admin URL

Did you know that Magento’s latest version gives you the option of customizing your admin URL? Well,this makes it harder for a hacker to get access to your e-commerce backend.

While you’re doing this also limit the admin access to a single IP address. This is a simple step that can have a large impact on our store’s security.

Use Two-step Verification

We all use our cards to make a purchase. When you buy something with a debit card or credit card, simply entering your card details is not enough. Once the details have been entered, you will be sent an OTP which must also be entered to complete the transaction. This two-step verification process ensures that even if your card is with someone else, they cannot use it.

Similarly, when logging in to your website, you should use a two-step verification process. This means that after you enter the Admin name and Password, a security code will be sent to your mobile number or email address. The website can be accessed only after entering this security code.

This additional step ensures that even if someone finds out your admin details, they cannot access your website. Additionally, you will be notified if anyone even tries to access your website without your permission.

Another step you could add is enabling CAPTCHA. This keeps bots from attacking your store.

Get an SSL Certificate

When performing online transactions, customers are always advised to check the URL and ensure that it begins with HTTPS and not HTTP. The ‘S’ at the end indicates that the website is secure and has an SSL certificate.

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. This helps protect the data stored on a website by creating an encrypted link between the browser and a web server. Any data entered on the browser passes through this link and remains private. This includes login credentials, sensitive data and credit card information.

If your website allows customers to conduct online transactions, this certification is a must.

Use Extensions for Reliable Developers

Magento provides a base for your website. As the design of your website evolves you will realise that you need a number of different extensions. These may be used for customer support, marketing, payments, shipping, site optimization, etc. The Magento marketplace has a number of extensions that you could use. However, this does not restrict you from using extensions from other places.

When choosing an extension you must not only ensure that it meets your requirements but also that extension developed by a reliable developer. Just like you read through product reviews before buying clothes or shoes, read through an extensions reviews before you install it.

Configure the Action Log

You probably have an order log in your website. This keeps track of who ordered what, when, from where and its current status. The Magento Enterprise Edition offers an action Log along the same lines. This keeps track of the activities on your admin panel.

It will tell you when the website backend was accessed, which pages were accessed, what data was made available and even the IP address of the person who accessed the website. Thus, if someone gains unauthorized access to your website, you may be able to stop them before any damage is done by changing your login credentials.

If the website does get hacked, this log could help you find the person responsible for it.

Create a Backup

An old proverb says, ‘Hope for the Best and Prepare for the Worst’.

No matter how many security measures you put in place, you can still not guarantee the safety of your website. Unfortunately, as new security measures as designed, hackers design ways to get past them.

Thus, you must always have a backup plan. If you have a back-up of your Magento 2 store files and your database, your losses can be minimized. This is because this back-up can be used to restore your website and get it working again.

In Conclusion

Jack Ma, the executive chairman of the Alibaba Group once said, “For e-commerce, the most important thing is trust.”

By paying attention to the security measures in place on your Magento store you not only protect yourself but also protect your customers. Unless customers know that the information they enter into your website is protected, they will be wary of making any online transaction with your brand. This means that even if you have the best product in the market, your sales may not reflect it.

Regarding your requirement for your Magento eCommerce services, Intellect Outsource is a well-known expert in Magento platforms, and we have been serving this industry for the last many years. We have the expertise of in-house Magento 2 Developers and also offer complete Magento 2 Development Services. The way we work is to provide the resources to your requirements, and they will work on your/client's projects remotely. We are happy to help. Please write to us to know more about our services/portfolio. We are always pleased to fulfill your Magento requirements like resources or projects.

Thus, for every e-commerce website owner, security isn’t an option, it is a MUST.