How to Keep Your Magento 2 Website Secure

By: Nigel Ewart|LinkedIn Profile

Magento 2 security

According to SimilarTech, there are over 7,000 unique domains that use Magento 2 as of February 2018. This ranks it in the top three most used e-commerce platforms in the world.

So, if you have a Magento 2 website, it helps to ensure it’s safe from possible attacks and viruses. Security is usually a concern with every platform out there, and new vulnerabilities are being discovered. Any loophole or weakness in the code provides hackers an opportunity to wreck your business.

That’s the last thing you want.

As such, this post will cover some of the measures and techniques for securing your site.

Read on to learn more.

1. Always Use the Latest Version

The main reason why software programs get regular updates is to add new features, fix possible vulnerabilities, and improve the overall design and performance. Whenever there are new Magento 2 updates, make sure you install them to ensure a secure experience for your customers.

If you don’t know your Magento version, you can use a tool, such as MageReport.com to check your software version details. Patches and security upgrades help to address different problems, such as remote code execution and images with malicious codes.

2. Update Modules and Extensions

In addition to updating your software version, it’s important to ensure every module and extension you use is up-to-date. In some cases, it’s hard to know if these modules are developed in a way that they address common security issues.

However, Magento requires quality reviews and code checks before approving new modules for their marketplace.

If you’re interested in adding a module to your website, be sure to read the reviews and the developer profile before installing it. Focus on the positive reviews to learn why other users find the great. Also, be sure to check how long the developer has been in business.

There are crafty developers out there that add a background code that collects information or puts your site at risk.

3. Use an SSL Certificate

You’ll be using your Magento 2 website to gather payment information from customers. The FTC requires website owners to secure this information. In some cases, you’ll need to meet the PCI standards.

You can use an SSL certificate to encrypt information that is shared between the web browsers and your server. This process works by changing the information into a code to prevent unauthorized use or access. As such, the certificate allows a secure connection for data security and protection.

If you don’t use an SSL certificate on your Magento 2 website, you risk exposing your customers’ personal information and credit card details. Plus, Google now requires websites to use the HTTPs protocol.

4. Develop Security Measures

There are several things you can do to lower your website’s vulnerability.

  • Use a custom Admin URL to prevent malicious login attempts
  • Get a strong password for your account
  • Implement two-factor authentification for your account
  • Disable FTP and don’t use it to manage files. Or, you can use a Secure FTP
  • Protect all files and directories of your server
  • Restrict admin login from external IP addresses
  • Disable the indexing of your directory
  • Avoid dynamic queries to prevent SQL injection attacks

These are just precautionary measures that you have to put in place to stave off potential attacks. Typically, you are denying hackers any opportunity for messing up your site.

5. Secure Your Environment

When your security measures are hard for hackers to penetrate, there is another way they can get to you: Your computer. This can be a targeted or experimental attack. Whatever the case, it’s possible for hackers to gain access to your Magento 2 website through your computer.

You can prevent this by securing the computer you use to access your admin account. Make sure you have an up-to-date anti-virus program or a malware scanner. When accessing your Magento platform account, try to avoid running other programs in the background, if possible.

Also, it’s advisable to be careful when using a public network or computer to access your account.

6. Choosing the Right Hosting Plan

Most people usually start out with a shared hosting plan. Of course, it helps to cut down the costs, but it’s not something you want for your e-commerce store. A shared hosting plan can be susceptible to security breaches and attacks. Plus, you’ll not benefit from better speed,

Instead, you should opt for a dedicated hosting plan or Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting. It’s also necessary to find a reputable hosting service provider. The company must provide the security and reliability your Magento 2 website requires.

If you opt for dedicated hosting, make sure you’re using multiple servers. A single server can make your site slow when your web traffic spikes. There are also managed Magento hosting plans that are tailored to suit your software.

7. Always Have Backup

As cybersecurity experts strive to ensure better site security, blackhat hackers labor to infiltrate every firewall and security patches out there. You can expect them to hit you when you least expected. As such, it’s wise always to have a backup for your site.

Ensure you have hourly offsite backups or downloadable backups. In the event your site gets hacked, you can have an easy time to get things back to normal. Backups help to prevent data loss. There are even cloud backup services can offer one-click restoration.

In case of an attack, make sure you to reset all passwords and credentials. Also, keep an eye on any transactions that use your customer card details without their authorization.

Magento 2 Website – Think Security!

Knowing the specifics of Magento security can be a little bit complicated, especially if it’s your first installation. Take the time to learn about the platform and how you’re going to use it. Then, determine the best features, tools, and settings you’ll need to secure your Magento 2 website.

These tips here should get you started in securing your site. Also, engage other users in the Magento Community to learn more about security issues and post queries to get insightful solutions and responses.

If you feel you need help, feel free to get in touch with us for further assistance.