A new data breach seems to erupt into the headlines at least once a month. For that reason alone, operating an ecommerce company requires that you implement a secure online credit card processing system.
Unfortunately, security breaches and hacking can still occur in spite of your best efforts to thwart them. If this happens to you, implement the following steps to safeguard your operations going forward and minimize the consequences.
1. Regularly upgrade software and systems.
Threat actors study applications and programs, exploiting any weaknesses they detect.
The first thing you should do after you realize you have been attacked is to examine all systems and programs to be sure they have been upgraded to the latest version.
If they have not, take this opportunity to do so. To safeguard your systems going forward, automate the update process wherever possible.
Also, appoint someone to oversee your IT maintenance who will be accountable in the future.
2. Grant privileges on a need-to-know basis.
Even if you work hard to provide your customers with secure payments, intruders can still make their way into your systems, jeopardizing sensitive information. Sad to say, some of these criminals might even be members of your own staff.
That’s why it is vital that access to confidential parts of your databases be granted only to those who need it.
Further shield your systems by requiring users to enter strong passwords that must be changed on a regular basis, and consider investing in a privileged access management (PAM) system to automate your credential management.
3. Create a disaster recovery plan.
The chaotic hours after a security breach occurs are not the time to come up with strategies to minimize the damage and resume regular operations.
Long before anything happens, you and all stakeholders should create, implement, and regularly test your disaster recovery solution.
You should already have strategies in place to protect critical logs and data. Additionally, decide how you will back up all of your data assets and where you will store the copied data.
Ideally, this should be off-site to protect against loss in the event of a natural disaster.
4. Always be on the lookout.
In 1736, Benjamin Franklin advised Philadelphians that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This adage remains true almost three centuries later, particularly when it comes to protecting data.
To that end, use human and automated systems to detect, contain and remove intruders who hack into your systems. Passive tactics such as logs, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) products and other analytics tools can spot abnormal patterns or behaviors.
Additionally, you can conduct penetration testing to scope out any weaknesses in your armor that criminals could exploit so that you can take proactive corrective action.
5. Create an environment that promotes security awareness.
All staff members, whether they work in the executive suite or the mailroom, should understand that they play an integral role in protecting your networks and recognizing security threats.
This universal buy-in does not happen automatically. You need to provide regular training as well as encourage employees to come forward with any concerns.
Bad actors work night and day to find chinks in your data security armor. While they only need to succeed once, you must constantly be on guard against their attempts, updating systems and keeping staff accountable and aware.
Although this is a heavy burden to carry, taking precautions such as those listed above can go a long way towards protecting your customers, your company and its reputation against the most severe consequences of security incidents.
