Issues in e-commerce

Many e-commerce issues are unresolved. As you can see from the issues discussed in this lesson, businesses, and even consumers, should not engage in e-commerce ignorant of the concomitant risks. Security, intellectual property rights, and payment processing must be considered carefully when planning to move a business into Internet commerce.

To make e-commerce sites more user-friendly, you usually store details such as credit card numbers in a database so that users do not have to retype this information each time they place an order. A customer account system will store this information and include all the web pages required for entering such details. As well as implementing these web pages, a site will need to take several other factors into account. First, simply placing credit card numbers, expiry dates, and other important information into a database in plain text is not ideal because it raises the possibility that this data could be stolen should the server be compromised. This could occur remotely or be perpetrated by individuals within our organization. In addition to enforcing a prohibitively restrictive access policy to such data, it can be a lot easier simply to encrypt sensitive information and retrieve it programmatically when required. One should create a security library to ease this functionality. Second, secure communications are important because you will be capturing sensitive information such as credit card details via the Web. We cannot just put a form up for people to access via HTTP and allow them to send it to us, because the information could be intercepted. Instead, the developer must implement SSL over HTTPS connections.

The basic law for payment is keep it as simple as possible. Customers have spend quite amount of time to judge your online store reliability, your products/services worthiness, etc. If they still have to go through a confusing, long checkout process, what will guarantee if your customers do not go somewhere else?

Security is the most common ecommerce issue. Due to increasing number of scam, fraud, and hacked websites which result in customers credential information being hacked.

An e-commerce platform must employ various strategies and technologies to ensure its online store is safe from common security threats and to assure visitors of the same. Here are the key methods for achieving this:

1. SSL Certificates: SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates encrypt the connection between the user's browser and the e-commerce platform, ensuring that sensitive data such as credit card information and personal details cannot be intercepted during transmission. Visitors can identify a secure connection by the 'https://' prefix in the website URL and a padlock icon in the browser address bar.
2. PCI DSS Compliance: The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies that accept, process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. E-commerce platforms should achieve and maintain PCI DSS compliance, often indicated by a badge or certificate on their website.
3. Regular Security Updates and Patches: E-commerce platforms should consistently update their software, plugins, and systems to the latest versions. These updates often include security patches to fix vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers.
4. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Implementing 2FA adds an extra layer of security during login and transactions, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. It requires users to provide two forms of identification - typically, something they know (a password) and something they have (a mobile device to receive a verification code).
5. Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems: A robust firewall and an intrusion detection system can prevent unauthorized access and detect suspicious activities on the e-commerce platform. They can block malicious traffic, protect against common web threats like SQL injection and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and alert administrators to potential attacks.
6. Privacy Policy: A clearly stated privacy policy builds trust with visitors by outlining how the e-commerce platform collects, stores, uses, and protects personal data. It should be easily accessible on the website.
7. Secure Payment Gateways: Utilizing secure and well-known payment gateways reassures customers that their payment information is safe. Trusted payment gateways comply with strict security standards and employ advanced encryption methods.
8. Anti-Fraud Measures: Implementing anti-fraud measures like address verification systems (AVS) and Card Verification Value (CVV) checks can help detect and prevent fraudulent transactions, safeguarding both the business and the customers.

By employing these strategies, an e-commerce platform can significantly enhance its security and give visitors the confidence they need to complete transactions safely.