The Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping frenzy is right around the corner, and with it comes an increase in cyber crime and nefarious activity.

Each year, we see a peak in fraudulent traffic on eCommerce websites as hackers look to take advantage of the high volume of shoppers browsing sites for deals and offers.

Whether you’re gearing up to sell your own products or handle the eCommerce site for another company, here are some tips to keep your website safe from cyber criminals this holiday season.

Read on to learn more about staying secure during peak online shopping time.

Don’t rely on just one firewall

If you’re relying on just one firewall to protect your website from cyber criminals, you’re missing out on potential protection. Most firewalls on the market today block certain types of traffic but allow others.

Make sure you’re using a firewall that provides a multi-layered approach to security, blocking all types of malicious traffic.

Another benefit of using a multi-layered firewall is that you have more visibility into your network and can see what types of traffic are passing through your network.

This can help you identify and stop attacks before they have a chance to damage your website.

Use SSL to encrypt traffic

If you’re not using SSL, you’re putting your website and the data it processes at risk. SSL is a critical part of website security and encryption, making it difficult for cyber criminals to steal or alter data.

Every eCommerce website should use SSL to encrypt all data being sent and received from users, including login credentials and credit card data.

You don’t need to be a large, Fortune 500 company to have SSL. There are plenty of SSL providers that offer cost-effective plans for smaller businesses and ecommerce sites.

For example, SSL certificates are offered as a free addon when you host your website with WebPower.

Don’t run any software from unknown sources

Always source your software from a reputable vendor, even if it’s free.

Tools like web analytics, website performance tools, and server monitoring software are important for website operations, but you should never run these tools from an unknown or untrusted source.

While these tools may seem harmless, it’s common for hackers to disguise malicious software as legitimate software that performs website functions.

Running these types of software from an unknown source can compromise your website and lead to identity theft and financial loss.

Instead, always source software from a trustworthy vendor or run these tools from your own server. For example, you can always host website performance and web analytics software on your own server.

Doing so ensures that you have full control over your data and that no one else can access it.

Update your website’s platform and firmware

Website platforms like Magento and Squarespace and hosting platforms like WebPower, are regularly updated with security patches and fixes.

If you’re using an outdated version of your website’s platform, you leave yourself open to attacks that have been patched and fixed in newer versions.

Make sure you’re keeping your website platform and firmware updated with the latest security patches and fixes.

Check your site’s URL and HTML code for vulnerabilities

Website vulnerabilities are one of the most common attack vectors for hackers. To protect your website against these types of attacks, make sure you’re monitoring your website’s URL and HTML code for potential vulnerabilities.

You can do this by setting up tools like Google Search Console and SSL Labs. You can also use tools like Sitemap.io’s free website security scanner, which will scan your website for common vulnerabilities.

With these tools, you can regularly monitor your website’s URL and HTML code for potential vulnerabilities, allowing you to fix them before cyber criminals have a chance to attack your site.

Conclusion

The holiday season is an especially busy time for eCommerce sites, as people look to shop for gifts, furniture, and more. During this period, it’s critical to keep your website secure against cyber attacks.

That means using proper security protocols, avoiding malicious software, and monitoring your website’s URL and HTML code for vulnerabilities.

If you follow these tips, you can protect your website from cyber criminals during the busy holiday shopping season.

Good luck and here’s to you and your business thriving this Black Friday!