Magento has been acknowledged by industry experts as among the best e-Commerce software currently available out there. It boasts a collection of top-notch inbuilt security features which keep your site safe. Unfortunately, as a result of Magento's increasing popularity, it has been featured among the favorite targets for spamming and hacking attacks.
Cybercriminals are continually working tirelessly to devise systems which can help them break into Magento-guarded online stores. Most probably, you're already aware of the staggering costs and risks which can be brought about by security breaches or hacks in online retailing.
Security is Vital for your Magento Site
Ensuring enhanced security is crucial for virtually all e-Commerce site, not just Magento-guarded ones. Most of these websites keep records of customer details, like personal and credit card information. And, such ought to be treated as extremely sensitive information.
Data theft won't just cause significant financial losses. It's likely to leave a negative impact on your brand reputation, too. And, as the store owner, you automatically assume the responsibility to enhance your store's security. Increasing Magento security is a concern that's often raised. And, it needs not be a challenging task as most people rush to presume.
8 Key Measures towards Increasing Magento Security
A security breach is capable of impeding sales and leads in the short term. The criminals may infiltrate dangerous phishing campaigns into your system and steal customers' personal information.
The long-term effects of such breaches are often less acknowledged. In case of a breach, most of the customers are likely to shop less while a considerable minority may leave entirely. As a retailer, you might start seeing a substantial number of lawsuits coming your way.
With that in mind, it's imperative to take all of the necessary steps possible to increase Magento security. This piece discusses the 8 key tips worth implementing to safeguard your company's future. These simple, yet critical solutions are definite to keep your online business in a much safer position.
1. Choose and Manage your Passwords Wisely
It's highly advisable to employ a long and complex password for your Magento Admin account. Also, we recommend that you avoid using any of your Magento site's credentials for other accounts.
Refrain from saving the password on your PC or any other device, as well. For more confidence in your site's security, ensure you modify passwords right before and after seeking the services of outside developers.
2. Customize your Admin Path
Making use of a simple-to-guess admin path (like www.websitename.com/store/admin) will make it much easy for cybercriminals to access your admin page, hacking the username and password. Thankfully, it's incredibly simple to overcome this challenge as Magento allows you to change the admin login URL.
For instance, rather than having the admin path at www.websitename.com/store/admin, you can modify it to something that's difficult to guess (like www.websitename.com/store/122+*krets).
3. Install the Latest Patches
Ensure you've installed all of the latest Magento patches on your site. Unfortunately, those that tend to overlook this step are more vulnerable than they realize. The latest patches are specifically designed to respond to new and advanced threats. And, installing these patches would only reduce your risk significantly. Ensure you're using the latest Magento version to enhance your site's security.
4, Make Use of Reliable Anti-Malware Software
You'll certainly want to employ commercial-grade anti-virus software for additional security. You're assured of better protection by keeping your desired anti-virus software up to date. We recommend updating it on a daily or weekly basis. Installing commercial-grade anti-malware software will help prevent Trojans and viruses from accessing sensitive customer information.
5. Seal the Email Loopholes
While it's a vital security measure, most e-Commerce site owners tend to overlook this simple step. Ideally, you should refrain from using the pre-configured email format (like abc@websitename.com) provided at your online store's domain for admin login. Cybercriminals have multiple ways through which they can hack company emails.
Upon cracking yours, the hacker will send a 'password reset' request via your Magento site's admin panel. The rest is unbelievably simple: just clicking on the reset mail and modifying the admin password. Then, they'll have full control over your e-Commerce site.
To avoid such, consider using a unique email address that's not publicly known. It'd also be worthwhile to protect your admin account further with two-factor authentication.
6. Disable Directory Indexing
It's incredibly simple to access a site's URL through directory listings and find locations and structures of its files. Directory indexing will only increase your e-Commerce's website susceptibility to dangerous security attacks.
You can easily avoid such a case by disabling directory indexing. It'll help hide your file storage pathways. Consequently, potential hackers will have a challenging time determining which folder contains particular files and trying to explore your site's vulnerabilities.
7. Have a Reliable Recovery Plan Put in Place
Beside malicious threats, there's a lot more to worry about. Unexpected cases, like mistakes and accidents, may bring about just as the same damage as malicious threats.
In fact, the former can be much harder to prevent and plan for. That explains why you ought to have automatic, consistent, and expansive data backups in place.
Back up data on a different server, rather than on the one hosting your Magento store. In case the unexpected occurs, you'll be able to recover essential data instantly without having to interrupt business continuity.
8. Evade those Shared Hosting Plans, if Possible
With an e-commerce website, you should say 'NO' to most of the shared hosting plans out there. Instead, direct your investment towards a sound, efficient hosting plan. Opt for one which is well-known for offering robust security. (In this respect Wezz e-Commerce has had a successfull partnership with Byte for over 5 years.)
Settle for a plan that frequently updates the security patches right at their server level. You've several, excellent options at your disposal, including Virtual Private Server and dedicated server hosting options, as well as cloud hosting plans.
Seek External Help
Sure, keeping your Magento site ultimately secure isn't a small task. It might be especially challenging if you handle almost everything in-house. In such instances, it might be worth to consider hiring the core and advanced services provided by reputable, established professionals.
In turn, that will lessen your workload and improve your Magento site's security. Additionally, it'd only be wise to get professional security reviewers to analyze your e-Commerce site for security loopholes at least once or twice a year. External help is highly likely to reinforce the site's defense mechanism.
Security Ought to be a Priority for your Magento Website
Safety is an undoubtedly vital point. Bear in mind that significantly much is at stake here. And, observing all critical security measures, including those suggested above, is important for increasing Magento security.
