5 Security Flaws to Avoid in E-commerce

Introduction

Running an e-commerce business comes with its fair share of challenges, and one of the most critical aspects is ensuring the security of your customers’ data. With cyber-attacks happening more often, it’s important to have the right security configurations in place to protect your business and your customers. In this article, we will explore the top 5 commonly missed security configurations for e-commerce businesses and how to fix them.

SSL/TLS Issues

SSL/TLS encryption protects important information, like credit card details. Many sites either don’t set it up correctly, forget to renew their certificates, or use outdated security settings like TLS v1.0. This can expose sensitive data to attackers, leading to breaches that harm your business’s reputation and customer trust.

Many hosting platforms like Shopify, Woocomerce, AWS, etc., provide SSL/TLS by default. However, your site administrators must ensure that these configurations are set correctly to only those that provide adequate protection.

Fix It:

• Use recommended security settings and turn off old ones like TLS v1.0.
  • The OWASP Foundation provides a technical guide for detecting weak cipher suites. ¹
• Force encrypted communication to prevent security downgrades.
• Make sure your SSL/TLS certificates are up-to-date.
• Regularly audit your SSL/TLS settings.

Weak Password Policies & Lack of MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)

Weak passwords and the lack of MFA can let attackers into accounts easily. This can lead to unauthorized access, resulting in data theft and financial loss for your business. Instead of making users change passwords often, encourage using longer and more complex passwords. Additionally, requiring MFA to log in protects individual accounts further from unauthorized access. In security, strong evidence suggests that longer passwords provide more protection against brute-force attacks. Similarly, MFA further prevents access even if a password is somehow guessed or compromised.

Fix It:

• Require passwords to a recommended length.
  • We strongly recommend following the recommendation of the Center for Internet Security, which as of the time of this writing, 14 characters is recommended. ²
• Avoid repetitive or sequential characters (e.g., “aaaaaa”, “123456”).
• Disallow context-specific words like usernames.
• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for extra security.
• Use password managers to help users create and store strong, unique passwords.
  • Using a password manager is the most efficient and easiest way to ensure that passwords are long and complex.
• Avoid frequent password changes, as this can lead to predictable patterns.
• Educate users about creating strong passwords and how hackers may attempt to trick them into giving them their passwords via phishing or social engineering tactics.
• Regularly review and update your password policies to ensure they remain strong.

Poor Access Controls

Access controls make sure only the right people can access important parts of your site. Poor controls can let unauthorized users in, leading to data breaches. A misconfigured public resource, sharing site, etc. are examples of this mistake. This can result in loss of sensitive business and customer information, which can be exploited for malicious purposes.

Fix It:

• Review and update access permissions regularly.
• Audit user permissions to remove unnecessary access.
• When assigning permissions, make sure individuals use roles that provide them access to only the things they need to do their jobs.
• Use tools like Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Azure Active Directory (AD) to enforce strict access policies.

Unpatched Software

Many e-commerce sites use plugins and third-party software to add features. Not updating these can make your site vulnerable to attacks. Hackers exploit these vulnerabilities to access your system, steal data, and disrupt operations, causing financial and reputational damage.

Fix It:

• Check for updates and apply patches promptly.
  • This can be efficiently done by having a vulnerability and update management program and getting everyone on board to send communications out about maintenance periods and the sort.
• Regularly audit software and hardware (if applicable) internally or via experienced security professionals like penetration testers.

Lack of Security Auditing

Without regular security auditing and penetration testing, it’s hard to identify and fix vulnerabilities. These tests can help find weaknesses before attackers do and provide confidence on how prepared the business is to withstand ongoing cyber attacks. Failing to conduct these tests can leave your business exposed to potential breaches and data theft.

Fix It:

• Schedule regular penetration tests to evaluate your security.
• Use professional services to perform thorough security audits.
• Act on the findings from these tests to fix vulnerabilities.
• Regularly update your security measures based on the latest findings and threats.

By fixing these commonly missed security configurations, you can keep your e-commerce site safe and give your customers a secure shopping experience. Regular updates, strong passwords, proper access controls, and effective security audits are key steps to maintaining your site’s security.

1. https://owasp.org/www-project-web-security-testing-guide/v41/4-Web_Application_Security_Testing/09-Testing_for_Weak_Cryptography/01-Testing_for_Weak_SSL_TLS_Ciphers_Insufficient_Transport_Layer_Protection ↩︎
2. https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/white-papers/ms-isac-security-primer-organizational-password-best-practices ↩︎