Безпечна інтеграція в майбутнє


Безпечна інтеграція в майбутнє

Secured integration to the future

Secured integration to the future

Importance of cybersecurity for e-commerce

Майстер-клас: секрети випікання найсмачніших млинців!

14.12.2023
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce has become not only a "backup" channel for many businesses but often the main one. The closure of physical sales outlets during alarms or power outages has also forced many entrepreneurs to pay more attention to online sales. Virtual sales have developed rapidly in recent years: a store's presence on the Rozetka or Prom marketplaces generates revenue but does not require investment in physical assets directly related to sales (retail space, shop windows, test products, sales assistants, etc.). 
There is a clear trend of customer migration, as customers can choose the right product whenever and wherever they want.
It is evident that changes in customer behaviour in product selection, decision-making, ordering, and payment lead to changes in security threat models in e-commerce. While in classic “in-store” sales, the seller must be able to distinguish counterfeit bills from genuine ones, and the security guard must prevent customers from leaving without paying for the goods, virtual sales pose new challenges. 
The key cybersecurity issues in e-retail include: ● DOS-attacks (Denial of Service) (the store becomes inaccessible to customers);● payment security (buyer and seller must be confident in the security of the money transaction;● data security (buyers have access to only the open part of the relevant and complete data);● authentication and authorization of users (accurate identification of the person using essential data and a clear definition of the list of actions available to this person.
Other cybersecurity issues include reputational damage and loss of brand trust if your communications are judged as spam or if your website is defaced.
It is essential to understand that in the world of e-commerce, the above problems and risks exist regardless of the size of your business. Therefore, you should build defences even if your sales volumes are significantly different from the leading players in your market. However, several cybersecurity solutions will be available to small and medium-sized businesses.
Among the mandatory security elements is a Web Application Firewall (WAF), which protects websites and web applications from most online threats. Regularly scan your web interface for vulnerabilities using specialized automated scanners.
Suppose the risks of stopping online sales become significant enough for your business. In that case, a regular audit must be conducted to comply with the leading security standards for handling payment card information (PCI DSS - Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). It allows identifying inconsistencies and eliminating them before they are used against your business. It should be noted that the results will be improved if you audit the entire online purchase chain, from the manufacturer's ordering systems to the customer's payment in the bank's application.
We should also emphasize the importance of regular penetration testing of your IT systems. These are much deeper and more detailed attempts to gain control over your systems or data using various technical and social engineering tools. Unlike automated scanners that check only known (typical) vulnerabilities, penetration testing is conducted by highly qualified specialists who individually select penetration tools and methods, simulating the activities of real attackers as much as possible.
Monitoring the availability of online services (uptime monitoring) can provide a lot of additional information, so this analysis can be used to find vulnerabilities in your security. If a service was supposed to be up and running as planned, but there were some disruptions, you should clearly understand what caused the interruption and respond accordingly.
In addition to security tools and regular audits, a prerequisite for improving the security of e-commerce channels is the proper organization of IT and security support processes.
Among the main “hygienic” rules:● Strong password policy: they should be complex regularly updated, different passwords should be used for different systems, and two-factor authentication should be used for critical systems and processes;● Regular updates: No natural system is perfect and ready to withstand all future challenges, so responsible system vendors regularly release updates and patches to their products to increase their protection against new vulnerabilities.● Backups and recovery plans: even if malicious actors change the information on your website, you can quickly restore everything from the backup. The losses would be much more significant if the last copy had been made a month ago.● Monitoring and detecting attacks: the most painful attacks on your information assets are subtle, long, and quiet. It is much more interesting for an attacker to get to your financial information or payments than to change the logo on your website's home page.
The whole system must be built in accordance with the principles of secure IT architecture to ensure the efficiency of the main processes. The widespread use of online services implies additional requirements that differ from the classical recommendations for building IT systems "for internal use". For example, the complete centralization of some IT services (which has many advantages in terms of classical architectural approaches) creates additional IT security risks. A centralized cash register management system may be cheaper than a decentralized one, but imagine a situation where thousands of cash registers in all your locations cannot access the central server.
Particular attention should be paid to the integration interfaces with your partners. Usually, they are considered separately from the front-end systems aimed at the end customer, but you need to protect partner interfaces no less carefully. An example of such a partner integration is a list of Nova Poshta branches and post offices to which you can send goods. You will “pull up” such a list directly from Nova Poshta, but this integration of external data with your web application creates additional risks that need to be controlled.
There is another crucial point to consider when it comes to cybersecurity. If you buy all the necessary security tools but need to build the proper mechanisms for using them, they will be more of a hindrance than a benefit. For many businesses, it can be too expensive to hire cybersecurity specialists. However, it has been no surprise that a separate security agency provides physical security for your store, bank employees perform cash collection, and specialized security units provide remote security. And even IT services have long been outsourced to third-party organizations. Therefore, to ensure reliable cybersecurity for e-commerce, which is essential for your business, you should choose reliable partners. For 24/7 sales, provide 25/8 protection.


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Call Us

+38 (044) 390 81 90

Write Us

moc.tsilaicepsti-ym%40olleh

Meet for coffee

Sigma Business Center,Vatslav Havel Boulevard, 6, building 3,Ukraine, Kyiv, 03124

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Зателефонувати

+38 (044) 390 81 90

Написати

moc.tsilaicepsti-ym%40olleh

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Бізнес-центр Sigma,
бульвар Вацлава Гавела, 6, корпус 3,
Україна, Київ, 03124

Illustration


Зателефонувати

+38 (044) 390 81 90

Написати

moc.tsilaicepsti-ym%40olleh

Приїхати на каву

Бізнес-центр Sigma,
бульвар Вацлава Гавела, 6, корпус 3,
Україна, Київ, 03124