How Secure is Your Website?

We saw all the Cyber Monday stories briefly reminding consumers how to make sure a website is secure. With credit card fraud on the rise, even the “big boys” aren’t immune. As a small business, it is important to make sure that you take all the appropriate steps to secure your website for consumers. It is just good business to do so and will save you huge hassles down the road.

But, as a business or non-profit accepting donations online, do you know how secure your eCommerce website is?  Here are some questions to ask to help you determine:

• Do you know how your credit cards are processed? For example, do you use a gateway like Authorize.net or do you send users to PayPal to complete the transaction?
• If using a gateway, do you have a security certificate, indicating that data is encrypted as it is transferred? If so, you should see a lock icon and the URL should start with https:// (note the “s”).
• Is your content management software up to date? Outdated software often has vulnerabilities that can lead to security breaches.
• Is your server secure? Do you know where your website is hosted and how often the server software is updated?  Is it PCI Compliant? Ask.
• Do you store credit card numbers on your server and process them through the machine in your store? If so, stop NOW. This often violates your service agreement and can get you completely shut down by your bank for all transactions.

Many of these items can be easily checked. You are welcome to give us a call if you would like help determining your security level.