Brands are becoming big cybersecurity champions. Welcome to the new frontier of marketing, where your Secure Sockets Layer certificate is as crucial to brand image as your CTA or influencer partnerships. Here’s why: HP reports a 238% rise in global cyberattacks since the beginning of the pandemic. Turn potential weaknesses into strengths that differentiate you from competitors who are still treating security as an afterthought.
Ecommerce Weak Spots Marketers Can't Ignore
In a world where data breaches make headlines faster than celebrity breakups, robust cybersecurity isn't just a defense mechanism. It's a value proposition that resonates in an era of increasing digital anxiety.
Vulnerability | Impact for Marketing Director |
Broken Access Control | Users can access sensitive customer information, leading to privacy breaches and loss of brand trust and reputation |
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) | Attackers can steal user accounts or redirect to unsafe sites. This means potential lawsuits and lost sales. |
SQL Injection | Attackers can inject malicious code and that leads to loss of customer data and heavy fines from data breaches. That’s another way of saying: lawsuits and lost sales…. |
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) | Users might be tricked into unwanted actions. This could lead to chargebacks and customer support complaints. |
Insufficient Security Configuration | Configuration errors can expose the online store to attacks, malicious software installation, leading to fines, lawsuits and/or financial problems for some unlucky brands. |
Payment-Related Vulnerabilities | Losing credit card details is a surefire way of incurring massive fines, lawsuits, and doing irreparable damage to your brand. |
5 Essential Cybersecurity Tips if You Aim to Avoid 95% of Attacks
Cyber attacks can feel overwhelming, the good news is that following a few simple principles can protect your eCommerce websites from the vast majority of attacks. Here's how you can avoid most cyber threats by focusing on the basics.
1. Update everything immediately
Expert tip: One of the simplest yet most powerful ways to protect your ecommerce site is to keep everything up to date.
This includes your ecommerce platform (like Shopify, Magento or WooCommerce), plugins, themes, and any software running on your server. Security vulnerabilities are often discovered after software has been released, and updates are designed to patch these weaknesses. Bad actors exploit known vulnerabilities because they know many companies are delaying updates, leaving the door open to attacks. Automate software updates whenever possible, and make it a top priority to apply new patches as soon as they're available.
“60% of data breaches are caused by a failure to patch. If you correct that, you’ve eliminated 60% of breaches. And I didn’t even have to say AI or Blockchain. See how that works?” - Ricardo Lafosse, Chief Information Security Officer at Kraft Heinz, on how to really cut down your breach potential
Real world scenario: Shopify Data Breach Impacting 180,000 Users Tied to Third-Party App. The entire incident is discussed at CyberInsider.
In July 2024, a Shopify third-party app breach exposed data of 180,000 users. The leaked information included Shopify IDs, customer names, email addresses, and order details. While Shopify's core systems remained secure, this incident underscores the critical need to vet all platform integrations, maintain robust security across the entire ecosystem, and have a clear incident response plan.
2. Mandatory Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Your Human Firewall
Strong passwords are great, but they're the bare minimum. By making 2FA mandatory for all your backend users, you limit the risks if someone steals or guesses a password. They won't be able to log in without a second factor—usually a one-time code generated by an app or a hardware authentication device. This extra layer of security is simple to implement and prevents one of the most common security breaches: credential theft.
“Our research shows that simply adding a recovery phone number to your Google Account can block up to 100% of automated bots, 99% of bulk phishing attacks, and 66% of targeted attacks that occurred during our investigation.” - Google security blog by researchers Kurt Thomas and Angelika Moscicki.
According to a Stanford study, 88% of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error. A CMO can be an internal champion by creating a culture that naturally amplifies your security narrative. When every employee becomes a brand ambassador for cybersecurity (and knows how to use a password manager).
3. Use a Reputable Payment Processor
“The global digital payment market size was estimated at USD 96.07 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.1% from 2024 to 2030.” GrandView Research. Building your own payment API might sound appealing in terms of customization, but it introduces significant risk. Trust the experts to handle your financial transactions. Outsourcing payment processing to a third party can significantly reduce your business's liability in case of a security breach or fraud. Instead of building and maintaining your own payment processing system, use a reputable third-party secure payment gateway like Stripe, PayPal, or Square. These platforms are designed from the get-go with robust security features, ensuring that online transactions and credit card details are protected.
4. Centralize Logs and Enable Automatic Alerts
Your brand's reputation hinges on proactive security. “A survey by ESG found that 76% of organizations report that threat detection and response is more difficult today than it was two years ago, highlighting the need for advanced monitoring tools.” - Jon Oltsik, Senior Principal Analyst and ESG Fellow
A best practice is to centralize your logs using a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) system. SIEM tools gather data from various sources like your ecommerce platform, server, anti-malware, firewall and payment system, giving you a single location to monitor for anomalies. This early warning system allows you to respond quickly to potential threats, minimizing the chances of a serious breach.
This approach not only safeguards brand reputation and customer trust by preventing data breaches, but also ensures compliance with stringent data protection regulations. These tools act as an early warning system for potential PR nightmares, safeguarding customer trust and campaign integrity. By centralizing security logs, CMOs gain invaluable insights into user behavior, informing smarter, safer marketing strategies.
5. Detect Vulnerabilities like SQL Injection and XSS
Some of the biggest cyber threats to ecommerce sites come from hackers using attack techniques such as SQL injection and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). These are common methods designed to inject malicious code into your site, steal data or gain control of your system.
Real world scenario: Magecart attacks target ecommerce platforms like Magento by injecting malicious scripts into payment pages, allowing attackers to steal customers' credit card information during checkout.
These attacks often exploit outdated Magento installations, making it crucial to apply security patches and updates promptly to mitigate the risk. Regular vulnerability scans and a good monitoring system that can detect unusual patterns are crucial. SQL injection typically targets databases by inserting unauthorized commands, while XSS injects malicious scripts into web pages that interact with users. Both can have devastating effects, but they can be prevented by using up-to-date software and implementing strong monitoring practices.
Conclusion
Trust is your most valuable currency. By focusing on these basics, you're not just avoiding 95% of attacks – you're building a narrative of trust and reliability that can set your brand apart in a crowded marketplace. You're staying ahead of emerging cyber threats and technologies, and positioning your brand as a leader in customer care. By implementing robust security protocols, leveraging content delivery networks, and educating your team about social engineering attacks, you're not just safeguarding your online shopping platform – you're building a brand that customers can trust with their sensitive payment information. Remember, in the world of e-commerce, security isn't just an IT issue – it's a powerful marketing tool.
Comments