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Every year, cyber- attacks cost website owners large amounts of money in damages to IT assets and disruptions to daily operations. Having knowledge on managing the risks associated with cybercrime helps to reduce website security risks. For ecommerce website owners and key decision makers, a solid cyber security strategy requires a time investment and careful consideration of many facets of an online business. The time investment is critical to business security and continuity since cyber- attacks are on the rise as more businesses establish an online presence. For this reason, ecommerce businesses must increase their awareness of the different types of website breaches to help develop effective policies and security strategies to combat cyber- attacks. In this article, we will help you understand the different types of cyber- attacks in addition to discussing some of the steps that are necessary to reduce your exposure to online risks.
Unauthoriz ed use of a website for the purpose of committing criminal acts such as hijacking, phishing, stealing sensitive data, and more. Changes to the characteristics of a website for criminal purposes without the owners knowledge or consent. See Wikipedia for Cyber- attack definitions. The processes used for responding to the attack are dependent upon the type of attack itself. This is why a comprehensive system covering a broad range of areas needs to be implemented since there is no one- siz e- fits- all answer to the problem.
cyber- attacks we mentioned above. If they understand what they are, make a point of asking them what they have done in the coding to prevent the attacks. If they can provide you with a sensible answer, there should be no problem with the code review and any apparent revisions. On the other hand, if they cannot provide an answer, a code review should be an important step in protecting your website. It will also help you to establish coding policies and standards for future website development. Conduct a Web Vulnerabilit y Assessment : This type of assessment takes on the perspective of an outsider and provides scenarios on how they might extract data from your system. The assessment focuses on areas of your website that face the Internet, as opposed to the server side of the site that contains the coding and other backend processes that are essential behind the scenes. A Web vulnerability assessment will help you to focus on what aspects of the site are likely to be vulnerable to exploits and tests the areas that are the most likely to be targeted. Review IT Securit y Tools : It is important to review the current IT security tools you have deployed to determine if they are providing sufficient protection or if changes are warranted. Depending upon your industry and the requirements for your website, the security tools include but are not limited to an antivirus and anti- malware protection system, firewall at the network level, firewall at the web application level, endpoint security management, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and encryption technologies such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) HTTPS, and more. Mobile Devices : If your company uses mobile devices to access specific components of the website such as CRM and others on the server side or backend, it is necessary to conduct a security assessment of mobile devices. Although you may have a solid security strategy deployed, it can easily be compromised with mobile device access. There are many third party companies like this one that offer network and website security assessment services. Conducting a local Google search should bring up the best results.
Use Secure Deployment : When you are developing a new website or expanding an existing one, the test and live environments may vary and be configured differently. This can cause security issues if the setup and launch of the website is not executed in a controlled manner that ensures all necessary security controls are implemented. Cont ract and SLA Securit y: If you use external security protection services or sub- contractors, make sure security is well defined in the contract or Service Level Agreement (see wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servicelevel_agreement ). Use the same process to determine the level of security the provider uses and how security breaches are identified and handled. Disast er Recovery and Business Cont inuit y: Prepare your company with a backup plan in the event of availability loss to your website. This includes identifying the probability of downtime and the effect it will have on daily business operations. Define what actions should be taken to ensure business continuity in the event of an outage. In addition to the above steps, make certain the latest security technologies are deployed such as an antivirus and antimalware protection system, firewall at the network level, firewall at the web application level, endpoint security management, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and encryption technologies such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) HTTPS, and more. This may also include data protection technologies associated with meeting compliance requirements for PCI (Payment Card Industry), HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and other industry- specific standards. Featured image License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/ Another article by Brian Morton. A professional IT consultant of 11 years and counting. You will find Brians articles across on the internet on various technology sites.