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Cybersecurity should be a major focus for ecommerce

Ecommerce has quickly become one of the fastest growing markets in the country. According to a report recently released by Forrester, online retail sales are expected to rise by a nine percent compound annual growth rate, reaching $370 billion by 2017. At the same time, data breaches are occurring with increased frequency. Verizon's Data Breach Investigations Report found that in 2011 alone,  855 separate incidents occurred, resulting in 174 million compromised records. With billions of dollars on the line and data thieves launching more attacks, ecommerce merchants should focus on enhancing their cybersecurity protocols.

IT Business Canada contributor Sean Forkan recently addressed the issue of ecommerce cybersecurity and concluded that there were several steps vendors could take to increase the defenses of their websites. Forkan stressed that websites which process financial transactions should utilize encryption to protect sensitive customer information. Using an SSL certificate can prevent hackers from accessing credit card and other payment information while it is being transferred across the network.

Some website operators can become complacent with these encryption tools and assume that once they are in place, no security follow ups are necessary. However, SSL certificates need to be updated in order to incorporate the latest developments in cybersecurity. Allowing a certificate to expire can harm an ecommerce site in two ways: failing to provide current encryption techniques and demonstrating to customers that the protection of their sensitive information is not a major concern.

Many ecommerce businesses only use encryption tools when a customer has initiated the checkout phase. However, to enjoy a wider cover of protection, some merchants may consider using always-on SSL resources. Instead of activating the encryption protocols at a certain time, a website will protect the user's entire session.

As the ecommerce industry grows, cybercriminals will increasingly target online retailers. Protect sensitive payment data and build customer trust with an SSL certificate.

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