Ecommerce sites have become a dime a dozen and need to provide a superior customer experience to sustain themselves in the highly competitive business landscape. Customers have taken to online shopping like there is no tomorrow, given its convenience. As per Statista, the global eCommerce market is expected to reach $6.51 trillion by 2023, and eCommerce businesses are likely to take up to 22.3% of total retail sales. With so much going around for eCommerce businesses, is there a moment to reflect and find out whether everything is hunky dory?
According to Manish Chaudhari, CISO, Cybernetic Global Intelligence, a top-notch provider of cybersecurity services, many eCommerce sites are inherently insecure and plagued with vulnerabilities. He further stated that such vulnerabilities are mainly due to the eCommerce businesses’ reliance on untrustworthy third-party plugins. No wonder many eCommerce sites face security incidents where attackers take advantage of vulnerabilities on the client side using formjacking, e-skimming, or cross-site scripting.
One can only ignore such attacks at their peril given that they often compromise customer data, such as personal information, credit card numbers, and login credentials. And if they are not nipped in the bud, these attacks can lead to financial losses for the eCommerce companies and invite penalties for violating regulatory compliance. Let us understand what these attack vectors are and how cybercriminals use them to cause data breaches.
Types of Cyber Attacks to Avoid for eCommerce Businesses
The various types of cyberattacks that eCommerce businesses, whether in Australia, New Zealand, or the APAC region, face on a daily basis are discussed below. It is advisable for eCommerce businesses not to place all their cards in the hands of developers building their sites. They ought to get their sites checked for bugs and vulnerabilities by certified and accredited cybersecurity companies, such as Cybernetic Global Intelligence.
#1. E-skimming: E-skimming involves the theft of payment card information from e-commerce websites. Here, cybercriminals inject malicious code into an e-commerce website’s payment page, which allows them to capture sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, CVV codes, and other personal information entered by customers during the checkout process. This stolen information is then used for fraudulent activities, such as making unauthorized purchases or selling the information on the dark web.
As more people shop online, these attacks have become common in recent years. To protect against e-skimming attacks, e-commerce businesses should regularly update and patch their software, implement strong access controls, and use encryption and other security measures to protect sensitive data. Besides, consumers should also be vigilant when entering payment information online and regularly monitor their credit card statements for unauthorized activity. Further, since such attacks take place on the client side, eCommerce businesses cannot identify the attack in real time and react.
#2. Formjacking: This type of attack involves stealing sensitive information entered by users on online forms. Here, cybercriminals insert malicious code into an eCommerce website’s payment page or checkout form, which then captures the information entered by users and sends it to the attacker’s server. The information that can be stolen through formjacking includes credit card numbers, names, addresses, and other personal data. The stolen data can then be used for making fraudulent purchases or causing identity theft.
Formjacking attacks can be difficult to detect and can affect a large number of users. This is because the malicious code is inserted into the website without the knowledge of the website owner or the user. So, to protect against formjacking attacks, users should only enter sensitive information on websites that they trust and regularly monitor their bank and credit card statements for suspicious activity. Website owners should implement robust security measures, such as regular code scans and updates, to prevent formjacking attacks. In doing so, they can take the help of experienced cybersecurity services, such as Cybernetic Global Intelligence.
#3. Cross-site scripting (XSS): This type of cyber attack involves the injection of malicious code into an eCommerce website to steal sensitive data or to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the victim. The injected code is then executed in the browser of anyone who visits the compromised website, allowing the attacker to steal the victim’s sensitive information, such as login credentials or personal data. XSS attacks can be used to conduct a wide range of malicious activities, such as stealing sensitive data, hijacking user sessions, defacing websites, or spreading malware.
To protect against XSS attacks, eCommerce owners should implement various security measures, such as input validation, output encoding, and use HTTP-only cookies. Users, on their part, can protect themselves by being cautious when clicking on links from untrusted sources and by using browser plugins that can detect and block malicious scripts.
Given the adverse consequences of the above-mentioned attacks, eCommerce businesses should minimize their dependence on third-party code or plugins without compromising the user experience. Importantly, eCommerce businesses may use the services of advanced penetration testing red team to simulate cyber attacks and identify any potential vectors. They need to deploy additional layers of authentication to make it even more difficult for cybercriminals to compromise their systems.
Conclusion
It is common knowledge that the existence of security flaws in eCommerce websites can be a surefire recipe for cyberattacks. During high-traffic situations, attackers can use such flaws in client side security to steal confidential financial and personal data. Remember, it is only a matter of time before any security flaw in eCommerce websites is exploited by cybercriminals. So, to prevent the loss of customer trust and confidence, and avoid financial losses and penalties, eCommerce companies should invest in strengthening their cybersecurity measures. Contact Cybernetic Global Intelligence at 1300 292 373 or contact@cybernetic-gi.com.