SSL Certificates: A One-Size-Fits-All Solution for Ecommerce Sites To Combat Cyber Frauds

Let’s face it! 

E-commerce security concerns are a big issue right now.

Cybersecurity issues were commonplace before the COVID-19 pandemic; however, they reached a peak during the pandemic, as online shopping accelerated.

In fact, mid-to-large retailers faced the brunt as most businesses in this category faced far more cyber frauds during lockdowns in 2020. And, overall 75% of online businesses were unhappy with the significant rise in online fraud in 2021.

What’s more, friendly fraud, was responsible for more than 30% of online fraud losses in the United States. 

Going by the rising number of cyber frauds, web development companies and specifically WooCommerce development companies need to consider website security (WooCommerce supports  almost one-fourth of the top 1 million eCommerce sites) on a priority basis more than ever before.

The blog deals in detail the different security issues eCommerce companies are encountering today and how SSL certification is becoming increasingly important for businesses.  

North America is the World's Leading Region in Ecommerce Frauds

According to Juniper Research, North America is a major target for cybercriminals when it comes to eCommerce fraud. Despite having less than 7% of the world's banked population, it is expected that more than 42% of global eCommerce frauds in 2023 will occur in North America. Two major risk factors contributing to this trend are the high number of data breaches and the widespread availability of stolen credit card information in the region.

source: daze.info

In addition, the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) payment method may pose risks in the future due to its delayed payment structure. According to research, fraudsters may be able to make multiple fraudulent transactions using stolen credit card details without being detected. To mitigate these risks, the research suggests that BNPL vendors should implement strict identity verification at the point of onboarding.

E-commerce Payment Fraud Losses Worldwide 2020-2023

source: statista.com

Online payment fraud is believed to have cost e-commerce businesses 41 billion US dollars worldwide in 2022, an increase from the previous year. By 2023, the amount is anticipated to increase even more, reaching 48 billion dollars.

Ongoing Security Challenges Faced by Ecommerce Store Owners

Ecommerce stores also face other security challenges such as phishing attacks, data breaches, money theft, and more. 

If you are thinking about outsourcing your cybersecurity requirements, opt for the top cybersecurity companies thoroughly vetted  and listed on GoodFirms. 

Here we have listed major ecommerce security challenges

i. Finance frauds: Finance frauds are a common type of online business risk. Hackers are known to make fraudulent transactions and then wipe out the trail leading to significant business losses. 

Finance fraud can be further divided into five types: 

Identity theft: Identity theft is a type of financial fraud that can harm online merchants, credit companies, and banks. In this case, the hackers use stolen credit card details and use it to impersonate them and make purchases or transactions. The hacker may continue to deceive the businesses and the credit card owner until they have possession of the latter's card details.

Friendly fraud: Friendly fraud can be particularly harmful to merchants. In this type of fraud, the fraudster makes a purchase using their own credit card or debit card but then requests a refund from the business after using the item. They may claim that the purchases were made by someone else who stole their card details. As a result, the merchant is forced to give a refund while the fraudster gets to keep the goods.

Clean fraud: Clean or not, a fraud is a fraud, isn’t it?  Like identity theft, it involves stealing credit cards and making purchases. However, one additional thing that separates it from identity theft is that hackers are able to escape theft detection in spite of the strict processes set up by businesses.    

Merchant fraud:  Also dubbed as internet fraud,merchant frauds are again quite common in the online space. In case of such fraud, though the order and payment is received and confirmed by the store, the product or service is not delivered to the customer. And there’s no provision for cash-on-delivery transactions.

Check fraud: Check fraud occurs when a fraudster issues a check despite having insufficient funds in their bank account, or when someone steals another person's check and forges their signature to make purchases or payments.

ii. Spams

Emails are synonymous with higher sales. But, on the other end, emails also result in loads of spamming. Even comments on blog or contact forms is an open opportunity for spammers to leave infected links on your web pages to harm you. Not to mention, they could even send such infected links through social media and wait for you to click on such messages. All this spamming not only harms your website security, it also damages your website speed.  

iii. Phishing

Hackers may impersonate legitimate businesses and send emails to trick customers into revealing sensitive information. These emails may contain urgent-sounding messages such as "Password Check Required Immediately" or "payment status," and may ask the customer to take an action such as providing login details or personal information. If the customer falls for the scam and provides the requested information, the hacker can use it to their advantage.

iv. Pricing Bots

Bots, both good and bad, are common on the internet. Good bots crawl web pages and help websites rank higher on search engines, while bad bots may scrape websites for pricing and inventory information. These bad bots, known as pricing bots, can commit various types of data scraping activities that can harm your online store. 

Here are five types of activities that pricing bots may engage in:

• Price scraping: Bots access the pricing section of your website and scrape pricing information to share with online competitors.
• Product matching: Bots gather and aggregate thousands of data points from your retail site to create exact matches for competitors.
• Product variation tracking: Bots scrape data for multiple variants within a product or product line, including color, cut, and size.
• Product availability targeting: Bots scrape product availability data (inventory availability) to help competitors position themselves against your products.
• Constant data refresh: Bots continuously visit your retail site to scrape data, so that scraped data buyers can make changes to their site accordingly.

v. DDoS Attacks

A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) or DoS (Denial of Service) attack is a type of cyberattack that makes your website unavailable to users temporarily or indefinitely. This is achieved by flooding your website with fake traffic or requests, which overloads the system and prevents legitimate requests from being processed. DDoS attacks can cause significant disruption and damage to your online business.

vi. Brute Force Attacks

Brute force attacks are a type of cyberattack that target the admin panel of a website in an attempt to steal passwords. These attacks use programs that try every possible combination of characters to try and crack the password. To protect your website from these attacks, you can use a complex password that is regularly changed.

vii. SQL Injections

SQL injection attacks are a type of cyberattack that target databases through query submission forms. The attacker injects malicious code into the database in an attempt to collect data and may then delete it. These attacks can pose a serious threat to the security and integrity of your data.

viii. Trojan Horses 

Trojan horses are programs that are downloaded onto the systems of admins and customers. Attackers can use these programs to easily steal sensitive data from your computers.

SSL Certificates: A One-Size-Fits-All Solution for Ecommerce Sites to Combat Cyber Frauds  

Agreed, the ecommece industry is facing frauds from all corners of the world, however, don’t think all is lost as online stores can protect themselves from fraudsters hacking their sites by implementing various website security strategies. 

One effective strategy is obtaining SSL certificates, which can be free or paid. Web development companies in India can assist you with obtaining and implementing SSL certificates for your website.

But before we discuss the benefits of SSL certificates, let's first define what they are.

SSL Certificates

Customers are more likely to trust online businesses if they see any of the following on their website:

• A lock icon in the URL name

• "https" in the browser address bar and not “http”

• A Certificating Authority Trust seal

• A green address bar (for an EV SSL Certificate)

Having these items on your website demonstrates to visitors that you are using an SSL certificate or digital certificate. Browsers such as Google Chrome will display a warning for insecure websites that do not have SSL certificates.

Now What is a Secure Socket Layer (SSL)?  

If safe online transactions are on your mind, then SSL is the go-to technology for ecommerce platforms. It’s a standard security technology that allows a high level of privacy as data is shared in encrypted form between a web browser and a server 

Sending encrypted messages helps protect the data against hackers and other malicious activities. If a hacker attempts to intercept the data he or she will come across only a jumbled mess of characters that’s impossible to decrypt. 

The authentication process starts when the web server sends the browser or a server a copy of its SSL certificate. The browser or server then verifies whether the SSL certificate could be trusted. If yes, it sends a message to the web server. The web server, in turn, gets back with a digitally signed document to start an SSL-encrypted session.  

Being a highly secure medium, millions of online businesses and proprietors use it to decrease the risk associated with sharing sensitive data such as credit card information, usernames and passwords, email addresses, and more. 

There’s a general misconception that SSL is used for secure online financial transactions, but it can also be used for securing confidential or sensitive data. 

SSL certificates are issued by organizations referred to as Certificate Authorities (CAs) who are supposed to vouch for the authenticity and legitimacy of the business requesting a certificate. 

Besides, SSL certificates are not the same and are based on the number of domains or subdomains a company wants to provide security cover. 

SSL consists of 2 parts: Types and Validation

SSL Types

Today's websites are made up of numerous layers of pages, domains, and subdomains; as a result, in addition to those for a single domain, several different types of SSL certificates are now available.

And, though there are many SSL types, the top three are:

Multi-Domain (MD) SSL Certificates

A single certificate called a multi-domain SSL certificate, also known as a SAN certificate (Subject Alternative Names certificate), enables companies to secure numerous domains and subdomains on a single IP. On ONE Multi Domain SSL certificate, businesses can actually secure more than 250 different domains, subdomains, external IP addresses, or hostnames. Common names are derived from base domains.

It is more practical from a financial standpoint to have a single solution because many companies today own many domains. Managing individual certificates for each of your domains means  you must install each certificate separately, keep track of its expiration date, renew it when necessary, and, most importantly, complete individual certificate signing requests in order to manage individual certificates for each of your domains.

source: sectigo.com

All these domains and subdomains get listed in the SAN fields with just one common name. It could be www.yourcompany.com under the CNAME field. 

Wildcard SSL Certificates

The Wildcard option secures the main domain along with an infinite number of subdomains under the main domain. For example, under www.yourcompany.com, you can have news.yourcompany.com, mail.yourcompany.com among others. Given that it offers full encryption for the subdomains, it’s quite economically priced.  

source: sectigo.com

Unified Communications (UCC) SSL Certificates

The Unified Communications type is specifically meant for Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Office Communication Server environments. Again, this offers a multi-domain option and can secure up to 100 domains.

SSL Validations 

The names of different SSL certificates suggest the validation process that is carried out prior to the issuance of a certificate. Domain Validated (DV) certificates are issued after the verification of the domain owner, while Organization Validated Certificates not only verify the domain owner, but also the authenticity of the business associated with the domain. 

Extended Validation certificates are considered the safest option, as verification is conducted at three levels: 1] verification of the domain owner, 2] verification of the organization and 3] the legitimacy of the business involved.

Domain Validation SSL Certificate

A Domain Validation SSL Certificate is the most basic type of SSL Certificate, requiring the least amount of identity validation compared to others. It does not require the domain owner to disclose any information, be it company name, address, or phone number. Meaning even anonymous entities, including malicious bots, can obtain a certificate. Additionally, it is cost-effective and can be issued within minutes.

If you're looking for a certificate that can be obtained on an immediate basis, then DV is your best option. The CA will send an email to the domain owner (as listed in the WHOIS database), and the website owner just needs to verify their domain ownership. DV certificates don't contain organization details, but they are the minimum viable product for website encryption.

However, given that the legitimacy of the company cannot be verified, they are not ideal for business websites 

Types of websites that use DV certificates:

• Blogs
• Personal websites
• Websites that don't conduct transactions or gather personal information

Organization Validation SSL Certificate

Compared to Domain Validation (DV), Organization Validation (OV) SSL is a step higher. With the help of OV SSL, you may get encryption as well as confirmation that your business is really registered, owns the domain name, and that your name and location are accurate. OV SSL certificates are the best option for websites that are accessible to the public, including businesses, organizations, and e-Commerce sites that ask visitors for money or personal information due to the added layer of protection they provide.

Extended Validation SSL Certificate

Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate holders go through a thorough vetting and verification process by a human specialist to prove the authenticity and legitimacy of their website. Obtaining an EV certificate requires completing almost 16-point verification processes, including DV and OV verification processes.

One of the most important features of EV certificates is that they activate a green address bar in the browser, in which the authenticated company name appears in green next to the web address. When consumers see the green address bar on a website, they are more likely to trust the site's legitimacy and engage in online transactions. EV certificates are ideal for all businesses and enterprise websites, but are especially important for sites that require personal information from users."

Small businesses generally use a single SSL certificate, but the specific needs of the business will ultimately determine this.

How SSL Safeguards your WooCommerce Store 

You may be wondering why we are focusing on WooCommerce. The reason is simple: there is a high probability that you will be choosing WooCommerce platform for web development in 2023, given its widespread popularity, or you are already running your store on WooCommerce, whatever the case may be. 

While there are many web development solutions available online and top 10+ web development companies Bangalore offer various options to choose from, many potential store owners still opt for WooCommerce because it offers a range of free core features that can be used to quickly and efficiently set up and launch an online store.

Besides, using SSL to secure your WooCommerce store is no different from securing other stores, as it provides the same security measures.

Tips to Set up SSL with WooCommerce

To set up SSL with WooCommerce, you will need to have an SSL certificate. These certificates are available for free or at a cost. If you are looking for a free option, consider using "Let's Encrypt.”

Let's Encrypt is a certificate authority that issues free SSL certificates in an effort to promote secure and privacy-respecting web.

There are two different ways to obtain a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt:

Choose a Hosting Company with Free SSL

For eCommerce store owners who are running their store on WordPress, WooCommerce offers several hosting providers (such as Bluehost, Pressable, and Siteground) that provide free SSL certificates that can be installed with just a few clicks. In fact, you may not even need to install an SSL certificate if you choose a web domain that comes with a hosting package.

If you are not using WordPress, you should check with your best web hosting companies to see if they offer free SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt. If they do, follow their instructions. If not, you can follow the instructions in the "Install Yourself" section.

Install Yourself

If your hosting company does not offer a click-and-install tool but still allows you to install a free SSL certificate, you can use Let's Encrypt. 

To manually install an SSL certificate on a web server, check these steps:

1. Purchase a domain name from a registrar, as Let's Encrypt free SSL certificates are domain-based.

2. Purchase web hosting from a web hosting provider.

3. Visit www.ZeroSSL.com to continue the process.

Paid SSL options

Many hosting companies sell SSL certificates that can be installed on your new or existing website. In addition, there are independent providers that sell a variety of SSL certificates that can be installed on your website or store.

Once the SSL setup is Done

After setting up the SSL certificate on your server, enter your store using the https://yoursite.com address. You should see a lock icon appear in the address bar of your browser, indicating that the SSL certificate is active.

source: woocommerce.com

WooCommerce Force SSL setting

The WooCommerce Force SSL setting enables SSL exclusively for your checkout page. When enabled, the Force SSL setting ensures that only certain pages are displayed over https, including the checkout page, the "Checkout > Pay" endpoint, and the "My Account" page.

Note that the "Force SSL" setting will not be available if your site's URL is already https. WooCommerce recommends running an entire website or store with https, rather than just the checkout page.

Best WooCommerce SSL Plugins for 2023 

1. Really Simple SSL/HTTPS Plugin 

You can install the SSL plugin only if you have an SSL certificate. If you do not have one, you can obtain it from SSL certificate providers as mentioned above, or you can migrate to HTTPS with a single click using the plugin. The plugin is very easy to use and also lightweight as well.

The free version of the plugin includes all the necessary features to secure your website. However, top WooCommerce development companies provide a premium version that includes additional features and functionality, such as an email notification when your SSL certificate is about to expire, among other features. 

 2. WP LetsEncrypt

As mentioned before, the plugin helps generate an SSL certificate and the installation and setup is easy after a quick verification of your HTTP domain. While the free version is sufficient, the paid version offers advanced features such as automatic SSL certificate renewal 90 days before expiration, DNS verification, and wildcard SSL support.

3. SSL Zen

The SSL Zen plugin helps you generate SSL certificates for your website and redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS. This allows you to display the HTTPS padlock in the URL bar.

While it is possible to obtain a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt, the process of setting it up on your website can be complicated as it requires editing SSL configuration files and potentially addressing other technical issues. SSL Zen simplifies this process by providing a few steps to get a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate.

The pro version of the plugin also includes automatic renewal of the free SSL certificate when it expires.

Conclusion

As hackers continue to find new ways to deceive businesses, it is likely that statistics on cyber crimes will continue to show an upward trend. It is up to businesses to implement various methods to protect themselves from these cunning hackers. SSL certificates can be an effective first line of defense, but it is important to also strengthen your overall security strategies to prevent any vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.