Magento Security Best Practices: Keeping Your eCommerce Site Safe

• By Anup Mehrotra
• 07-03-2023
• E-commerce

The eCommerce industry is expanding rapidly, and managing an eCommerce website is difficult because all websites today are exposed to significant hazards. Additionally, if your website sells goods online, you must take precautions to protect it from threats and hacker attacks.

Because it is one of the top eCommerce platforms, hackers and attackers are interested in targeting Magento. Typically, hackers break into eCommerce websites to steal data they can use for themselves, for electronic spam, to damage your website, or to use it for phishing (the effort to obtain customers' personal information like credit card numbers or passwords).

One of the most crucial things right now to protect your clients' private (financial) data is the security of your Magento store.

Attacks can result in financial data leaks and expose consumer information. When this happens, your brand's trust and reputation may suffer, which no business can afford. Users of Magento stores should understand how to strengthen Magento security and take concrete precautions to guard against cyber threats and maintain the website's security. By following a few Magento security recommendations, you can steadily lower these threats and fortify your Magento website.

Magento Security Threats Store Owners Should Be Aware Of

• SQL Injection Attacks: This attack targets the database that powers your store and seeks to extract sensitive information such as customer names, addresses, and payment information. To prevent SQL injection attacks: keep your Magento installation up-to-date, and regularly run security scans to identify vulnerabilities.
• Cross-Site Scripting Attacks: This attack injects malicious code into your store's pages, which can steal sensitive information from your customers. To prevent XSS attacks, validate all user input and sanitize any potentially malicious code before it's stored in the database.
• Remote Code Execution (RCE) Attacks: This attack allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on your server, potentially giving them access to sensitive information and the ability to perform malicious actions on your store. To prevent RCE attacks: keep your Magento installation up-to-date, and limit the permissions granted to third-party extensions.
• Phishing Attacks: This attack tricks customers into entering their sensitive information into a fake form, which is sent to the attacker. To prevent phishing attacks: educate your customers about the dangers of phishing, and implement practices for storing sensitive information (e.g. encryption and secure storage).
• Brute-Force Attacks: This attack tries to guess passwords by repeatedly trying different combinations of characters. To prevent brute-force attacks: use strong passwords, and implement measures such as two-factor authentication and CAPTCHAs.
• Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): CSRF is a type of security vulnerability that allows an attacker to trick a user into performing actions on a website, potentially compromising the site's security and data. In Magento, CSRF vulnerabilities can occur in custom code or third-party extensions, making it crucial to implement proper security measures to protect against this attack.
• Session Hijacking: Session hijacking is a type of security vulnerability that allows an attacker to take over a user's session, potentially compromising the site's security and data. In Magento, session hijacking vulnerabilities can occur in custom code or third-party extensions, making it crucial to properly secure user sessions and implement proper security measures to protect against this attack.
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): XSS is a type of security vulnerability that allows an attacker to inject malicious code into a website, potentially compromising the site and user security. In Magento, XSS vulnerabilities can occur in custom code or third-party extensions, making it vital to regularly scan your store for vulnerabilities and address them promptly.

In short, regular security scans, software updates, and secure coding practices are essential in maintaining the security of your Magento store. To ensure your store and customer information stays safe, be aware of these security threats and take proactive measures to mitigate them.

Magento Security Services: An Essential Guide for Store Owners and Administrators

In today's digital world, cyber threats are constantly evolving, and eCommerce platforms are no exception. Magento is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms globally, but with its popularity comes increased attention from cyber criminals who are always on the lookout for vulnerabilities. This is why it's essential to invest in Magento security services to keep your store and customer information safe.

• Regular Software Updates: Keeping your software up-to-date is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect your store against cyber threats. Magento releases security patches and software updates regularly, and it's critical to install these updates as soon as they become available to address known security vulnerabilities and improve the performance and stability of your store.
• Regular Security Scans: A security scan is a comprehensive review of your store's code and configuration to identify potential vulnerabilities. Regular security scans can help identify potential threats and provide recommendations for remediation. By being proactive in addressing vulnerabilities, you can mitigate the risk of cyber attacks.
• Secure Coding Practices: Ensuring that all code written for your store is secure, including third-party extensions, is crucial in preventing vulnerabilities from being introduced. Proper validation of user input, sanitization of potentially malicious code, and secure coding techniques are all crucial aspects of secure coding practices.
• Encryption: Encrypting sensitive information, such as customer names, addresses, and payment information, both at rest and in transit, ensures that the information is securely stored and transmitted. With encryption in place, even if an attacker gains access to your store's data, they will not be able to read the information, making it useless to them.
• Disaster Recovery Planning: Having a plan in place to quickly restore your store in the event of a disaster, such as a cyber attack, server failure, or natural disaster, is crucial. This involves regular backups of your store's data, as well as procedures for restoring your store quickly and effectively. By having disaster recovery planning in place, you can ensure that your store is up and running as soon as possible, minimizing the impact of a disaster on your business.
• Additional Services: In addition to the above, there are various other security services store owners and administrators can consider, including two-factor authentication, CAPTCHAs, and secure password practices.

Investing in security services for your Magento store is essential for protecting your store and customer information. Cyber threats are constantly evolving, and it's essential to be proactive in addressing them to ensure the security of your store. Whether you're a new or experienced eCommerce store owner or administrator, by implementing a comprehensive security strategy, you can rest assured that your store and customer information is protected, allowing you to focus on growing your business.

It's important to note that security is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. By regularly reviewing and updating your security strategy, you can stay ahead of the curve and remain protected against the latest cyber threats. With the right security services in place, you can have peace of mind knowing that your store and customer information is protected.

Magento Security Best Practices

Here some of the most essential Magento Security advice to ensure your business is as safe and secure as possible moving ahead. Read on!

Install SSL Certificate on Your Website

There are a lot of good reasons why your website needs an SSL certificate. It virtually qualifies as a requirement for each owner of an eCommerce store, helping you with Google ranking and building customer confidence when shopping on the site.

A Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate encrypts all of the data shared on a website in terms of security. When you install it on your Magento store, it encrypts all the sensitive information on the website. This is crucial for preventing internet attackers from having personal information and using it for identity theft and forgery.

Use ReCAPTCHA

The best solution for defending your website from fraud, abuse, and attacks is Magento 2 reCAPTCHA. It is an impenetrable method of preventing spam and protecting your Magento website from hackers. By evaluating whether the access session that is being initiated on your website is being done by a human or a bot, it is used to assure genuine and secure site logins. Humans can solve it, but "bots" and other malevolent software find it challenging to interpret or understand.

Use Tools to Scan Your eCommerce Store

Finding security concerns in your eCommerce store simply by looking at it is never simple. The Magento free scanning tool was created for you by developers aware of this.

This utility includes numerous security tools created specifically to make it simple to do an automated website security scan. It assists you in reviewing the security compliance of your store while performing routine scans and immediately notifies you of any unusual behavior on the site.

Perform Regular Backups

We are aware that backups avoid data loss, so if you aren't constantly backing up your Magento website, start doing so right away. If something were to go missing, you could utilize your backup to automatically restore all data. Make sure the backup copies are not stored on the same device as your website. If an attacker has access to your server, they can also access your backup, which could be problematic. Additionally, if your server crashes, it can damage your backup copies.

Use the built-in backup features or other suggested technologies and binary tools to back up websites.

Implement Two-Factor Authentication

To enhance the cybersecurity of your Magento store, consider implementing two-factor authentication. Two-Factor Authentication adds a layer of protection against hackers and cybercriminals. Magento offers various two-factor authentication options such as Authy, Duo Security, Google Authenticator, etc. With the Magento Two-Factor Authentication extension, businesses can increase the security of the admin username by requiring a security code and password generated from a device.

Update to The Latest Version of Magento

Staying up-to-date with the latest version of Magento is crucial for maintaining the security and optimal performance of your website. New versions of Magento offer improved security features and better performance. Although the process of updating the Magento version may appear simple, many business owners struggle with it. But there's no need to worry as you can seek the assistance of Magento developers. They will not only help you update the platform but also enhance its security by implementing new security features and addressing existing security vulnerabilities.

Every new Magento version often includes remedies for issues with earlier Magento security updates. In the end, it's critical to maintain your website updated.

Use Strong Passwords

Encouraging strong, unique passwords is crucial for protecting sensitive information. Passwords should be at least 12 characters long, contain a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters, and be different from previous passwords.

Additionally, consider implementing password policies to enforce the use of strong passwords and prevent the reuse of old passwords.

Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) can help protect your Magento store against common attacks, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and cross-site request forgery. A WAF acts as a barrier between your store and the internet, inspecting incoming traffic for signs of malicious activity and blocking potential threats.

With a WAF, you can proactively defend against common attacks and reduce the risk of security breaches.

Educate Employees

Regularly educating your employees about the importance of security and best practices for protecting sensitive information is crucial to maintaining the security of your store. Provide training on the proper handling of sensitive information, such as passwords and customer data, and emphasize the importance of following security protocols and procedures.

Businesses must also encourage employees to report any suspicious activity or security incidents, as early detection can be critical in responding to a security breach.

Conclusion

Nobody will guarantee that your store won't be the target of a cyberattack if you don't even try to adhere to standard security procedures. Therefore, you must put the security of your Magento business first.

Furthermore, we are aware that prevention is always preferable to treatment, and there is no doubt that modern solutions are necessary for successful protection. Therefore, maintain your Magento store updated and rapidly increase website security.

Follow these tips to secure your Magento store from cyberattacks:

• Install SSL Certificate: A SSL certificate acts as a mark of authenticity for eCommerce selling.
• Use ReCAPTCHA: Incorporate ReCAPTCHA to protect your site from fraud and cyber scams.
• Use Tools: Regularly scan your site for vulnerabilities and malware using security scanning tools.
• Perform regular backups: Regularly backup your site, including the database and all files, to ensure you can quickly restore your site in the event of a security breach.
• Use two-factor authentication: Use two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security to the login process.
• Keep your software up to date: Magento regularly releases security patches and updates to address known vulnerabilities.

For any assistance, feel free to connect with the experts at leading eCommerce management companies such as Envision eCommerce, specializing in Magento development. Certified experts can perform a thorough analysis of your website to determine its level of protection, find any gaps, and assist you in closing them.