What do businesses have to do, with threats of malware and online fraud that can potentially make e-commerce hell for any business? Should we fear bringing our business online? Will these threats drive away our customers?
Business solutions experts believe that enterprises should not fear the threat of e-crimes. But we should not take these lightly either. The best weapon against crimes high tech in nature is knowledge itself. This means fighting cyber crime with effective awareness campaigns.
Businesses should educate computer users in their spheres of influence, whether they be employees, customers or suppliers, on measures that can help prevent threats and attacks.
Phishing attacks. These are usually in the form of email messages disguised as legitimate inquiries from companies, and will ask recipients information such as banking details, or will ask the user to click a link to log in to the page. However, the link turns out to be a bogus page, where the password is actually sent back to the phisher (who then uses this to steal the account).
Be sure to regularly warn your clients against this possibility, and that your company will never send email to ask for information or passwords. It also makes sense not to simply click on links on emails, as these may point to bogus websites. Instead, it’s better to type the website’s URL on the browser window. It also pays for your e-commerce site to sign up for a secure verification certificate, so your users are sure they are safe in transacting with you.
Viruses. Secure your network, both hardware- and software-wise. It’s good to invest in a hardware firewall for your Local Area Network. As for company computers, do install antivirus and anti-spyware software that are easy to centrally configure and manage over the network. You should also warn your employees against opening unexpected email attachments or accessing websites that hawk illegal software (these are usually full of virus-infested programs).
Company formation consultants suggest that security be a primary consideration when setting up an e-commerce service. Since you are not face-to-face when transacting with customers, it pays to establish trust.