The Importance of E-commerce Application Security Testing

Cyber attacks on e-commerce applications are a common trend in 2023 as e-commerce businesses become more omnichannel, they build and deploy increasingly more API interfaces, with threat actors constantly exploring more ways to exploit vulnerabilities. This is why regular testing and ongoing monitoring are necessary to fully protect web applications, identifying weaknesses so they can be mitigated quickly.

E-commerce application security testing is essential to protect the personal and financial information of everyone linked to the application, including customers, dealers, and vendors. The frequency of cyberattacks on e-commerce applications is high, meaning adequate protection is needed to prevent data breaches that can severely damage the reputation of a business and cause financial loss.

Regulatory compliance in the e-commerce sector is also stringent, with data protection becoming business-critical to avoid financial penalties. An application requires more than just the latest security features, every component needs to be tested and best practices followed to develop a robust cybersecurity strategy.

Cyber Threats For E-commerce Applications

1. Phishing – Phishing is a type of social engineering attack that aims to trick victims into clicking a link to a malicious website or application. This is done by sending an email or text that is made to look as if it has been sent from a trusted source, such as a bank or work colleague. Once on the malicious site, users may enter data such as passwords or account numbers that will be recorded.
   
2. Malware/ Ransomware – Once infected with malware, a range of activities can take place on a system, such as locking people out of their accounts. Cybercriminals then ask for payment to re-grant access to accounts and systems – this is known as ransomware. However, there is a variety of malware that perform different actions.
   
3. E-Skimming – E-skimming steals credit card details and personal data from payment card processing pages on e-commerce websites. This is achieved via phishing attacks, brute force attacks, XSS, or perhaps from a third-party website being compromised.
   
4. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) – XSS injects malicious code into a webpage to target web users. This code, typically Javascript, can record user input or monitor page activity to gather sensitive information.
   
5. SQL Injection – If an e-commerce application stores data in an SQL database, then an SQL injection attack can input a malicious query that allows unauthorized access to the database’s contents if it is not properly protected. As well as being able to view data, it may also be possible to manipulate it in some cases.

Final Thoughts….

Cyberattacks on e-commerce websites occur frequently, and even platforms built by global businesses have contained critical vulnerabilities that have been discovered in the last 12 months.

Security testing is required to assess the full attack surface of an e-commerce application, protecting both the business and its users from cyber attacks like phishing or e-skimming.

Goliath Cyber offers Penetration testing as a service as one of the best ways to protect platforms, performing regular scans to provide continuous vulnerability assessments so they can be mitigated as soon as possible.