Data security in systems e-commerce

Today's world is the age of digitalization and e-commerce . Every day, millions of people around the world shop online, entrusting their personal data to various companies and organizations. But how can you be sure this information is safe? In this article, we'll discuss the importance of data security in online stores, the challenges associated with data breaches, and how headless technology can help protect it.

The importance of data security in online stores

Data security in online stores is an integral part of online business and is crucial to maintaining customer trust and business success. This explains why investing in digital security, privacy compliance, and data protection is not only a necessity but also a strategic business decision.
First of all, consumers using the services e-commerce They often share sensitive information with online stores, such as personal data, credit card numbers, and shipping addresses. If this data falls into the wrong hands, it can be used for identity theft, unauthorized transactions, or other forms of cybercrime. Therefore, ensuring that online stores properly secure this data is crucial to protecting customer privacy and security.
In addition to aspects directly related to customer protection, data security is also of great importance for the online store itself.

A data breach can lead to serious financial consequences, such as legal penalties, compensation for affected customers, and costs associated with repairing security systems. It can also damage a store's reputation, ultimately leading to a loss of customer trust and a decline in sales.

Furthermore, data security is essential to meeting legal requirements. Many jurisdictions around the world, including the European Union with its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), require online stores to implement appropriate data security measures. Non-compliance with these regulations can result in significant penalties.
Consequently, data security is not only a matter of ethics but also a strategic business decision. Appropriate investments in digital security, privacy and data protection policies, and risk management systems can effectively protect both customers and the store itself from potential threats. Secure online stores earn customer trust, which translates into loyalty, long-term relationships, and ultimately, business success.

Security and data protection – principles

Data security is a crucial issue in today's digital world. Online stores, in particular, that collect and process sensitive customer information must pay special attention to securing this data. However, this is not an issue to be taken lightly – data security threats such as hacking, malware, and phishing are becoming increasingly common and can lead to serious consequences.

Forms of hacker attacks

First and foremost, it's important to understand the nature of these threats. Hacker attacks can take many forms—from simple attempts to exploit a weak password, through complex techniques like SQL injection or cross-site scripting, to advanced man-in-the-middle attacks. Hackers attempt to gain access to customer data, such as credit card numbers or email addresses, and then use this information for illegal purposes. The most common are:

Malware

Malware, or malicious software, is another major threat. It can be installed on online store servers or customer computers, usually without their knowledge, and is used to steal data, conduct espionage, or attack other systems.

Phishing

Phishing is a technique that involves impersonating a trusted source, often using fake emails or websites, to trick users into revealing sensitive information. Even the most savvy consumers can fall victim to a well-designed phishing campaign.
It's also worth noting that many online stores use less popular or dedicated solutions—proprietary systems or software provided by lesser-known companies. Such solutions may not have the same advanced security features as professional platforms. e-commerce, such as Magento or CommerceTools. Their security updates may be less frequent or less effective, putting these stores at a disadvantage against potential threats.
Stores using these solutions must therefore take additional steps to ensure the safety of their customers. This may include regular security audits, implementing additional layers of security such as two-factor authentication, data encryption, and security incident detection and response systems.

Safety education

Furthermore, educating both employees and customers about basic online security principles is crucial. Employees should be aware of threats and know how to respond to potential attacks, while customers should be provided with information on how to use the store safely, for example, by regularly changing passwords and verifying the authenticity of emails and websites.
Data security in online stores is a complex and constantly evolving challenge. Stores must not only invest in the latest security technologies and procedures, but also undertake extensive educational and preventative measures. Ultimately, protecting customer data is not only an ethical and legal matter but also a key element in building customer trust and loyalty.

What is a data leak and why is it dangerous for a company?

Personal data theft is an event that can have a wide range of negative consequences for any organization. These consequences include image, legal, and financial aspects, and can also impact the trust of customers and business partners.
From an image perspective, data theft can have disastrous consequences. A company unable to ensure an adequate level of data security may be perceived as unreliable or incompetent. This can lead to a loss of trust from both current and potential customers. Furthermore, it can negatively impact relationships with business partners, who may fear the associated risks and decide to terminate the relationship.

Legal and financial consequences of a data leak

In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces severe sanctions for violations of data protection laws. For example, the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO) can impose fines of up to €20,000,000, or 4% of the total annual global turnover from the previous financial year.
These financial penalties can be a significant burden for a company, especially for smaller companies, which would significantly reduce their financial capacity. Furthermore, the company may also incur additional costs related to crisis management, such as legal and public relations costs, and the need to implement new security systems.

Examples of data theft and their consequences

Examples of data theft abound. Consider the 2019 scandal in which the data of 50 million Facebook users was used for political purposes. Such incidents demonstrate the serious consequences of data breaches.

Examples of stores that fell victim to attacks that led to customer data leaks:

• digital.pl – leakage of data such as email addresses and password hashes
• neo24.pl – a customer database leak that led to the sending of an SMS campaign leading to a payment fraud website.
• apricots.net – In 2018, data leaked, including first name, last name, email address, password hash, and phone number. Initially, the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO) imposed a fine of €660 on the morele.net store, but the fine was overturned in court.
• Aleleki.pl – leak of data such as the entity's name, entity's address, entity's NIP, entity's REGON, PESEL, name and surname of contact persons, telephone number, e-mail address and information about the transaction

GDPR, UODO and Polish law

In Poland, data security is regulated by the GDPR, the Personal Data Protection Act, and other laws. These regulations aim to protect personal data and oblige organizations to ensure an adequate level of security. Violating these regulations can result in serious legal and financial consequences.
Often, this specialist also serves as a Project Manager, coordinating various projects related to the development of an online store. This may include introducing new features, integrating with other systems, or leading process optimization initiatives.

What steps does your company need to take if a security breach is detected that may have led to a data leak or if your company has lost access to accounts that have access to personal data?

• informing the President of the Personal Data Protection Office by e-mail or traditional mail,
• carrying out audit security aimed at investigating the source and cause of the leak of personal data
• informing customers about the leak of their data
• taking security measures and preventing further leaks (e.g. resetting user passwords)

Native Magento vs Headless – Differences in the Big Picture

Understanding the differences between native Magento and a headless approach , where Magento is used as the backend and the frontend is a separate application, is crucial for online stores. Choosing between these two approaches depends on many factors, such as the store's needs, available resources, and business goals. Security is one of the most important factors to consider. In native Magento, many security features are built directly into the platform. These include protection against XSS attacks, SQL injection, password protection, and HTTPS support.

Security – Advantages of native Magento solutions

Open community

As one of the most popular e-commerce solutions on the market, it boasts a large developer and user community. This ensures that any security flaws are quickly identified and patched. The community regularly shares security tips and practices, which can effectively help protect your store. These vulnerabilities affect not only the backend layer (used by headless ) but also the frontend, so the level of security in both is high. Magento regularly releases security patches. This means that the software developer actively monitors and responds to potential threats, providing stores with tools to defend against new types of attacks.

Advanced security features

Another great feature is its advanced security features. Store owners have access to tools and configurations that allow them to customize their store's security level to suit their individual needs.

Audits and inspections

Thanks to Magento's open-source nature , store owners and their technical teams can conduct thorough source code audits to identify and fix potential vulnerabilities. Many companies specialize in Magento security audits, providing expertise in securing the platform.

Security – Disadvantages of native Magento solutions

Exposing the backend

In native Magento , the user interface and backend are tightly coupled. This means end users have direct access to the Magento application, which can increase the risk of attacks.

Vulnerability to DDoS attacks

Magento , like any e-commerce platform , can be vulnerable to DDoS attacks, which can be particularly damaging to online stores, leading to downtime and lost sales.

Comprehensiveness of the system

Magento is a powerful system, but its complex architecture can create additional points of vulnerability. For example, each extension or module added to the system can potentially introduce new security flaws. The larger the attack surface, the greater the risk.

The need for regular updates

Magento regularly releases security patches and updates that must be installed to ensure optimal security. Unfortunately, many stores neglect these updates, which can lead to serious security issues.

Weak default security

Although Magento offers many advanced security features; some of the default settings may not be strong enough. Online stores must actively work to secure their platform, which may require additional resources and technical expertise.

Headless security

Headless technology is a modern approach to e-commerce that separates the presentation layer (frontend) from the business logic layer (backend). This solution allows for greater flexibility and security, as well as better integration with other technologies.

You can read about why it is worth investing in Headless store technology in our blog article:

Headless eCommerce Technology Comparison: Why invest in a headless frontend store?

The most important security features of headless technology include:

Separation of the frontend and back-end layers

In the headless model , the frontend (user interface) is separated from the backend (Magento). This means that the end user doesn't have direct access to the store's backend, reducing the risk of potential attacks.

Limiting the attack surface

By separating the frontend from the backend, the attack surface is significantly reduced. Attacks can be directed only at specific API endpoints, which are carefully secured and monitored.

Flexibility in choosing frontend technologies

Headless online stores have greater freedom in choosing their front-end technology. They can choose the technology that offers the best security and is best suited to their specific needs.

Easier management of updates and security patches

Because the frontend is separated from the backend, online stores can more easily manage updates and security patches. Updates can be applied independently to each layer, minimizing the risk of introducing bugs or security vulnerabilities.

Scalability and performance

A headless architecture is more scalable and efficient, which can help protect against DDoS attacks. Because the load is distributed between the frontend and backend, the store is less susceptible to overload.

Data safety

By separating the frontend from the backend, customer data is better protected. Sensitive data is stored only in the backend, reducing the risk of data loss or theft.

How can our Sellina technology strengthen the security of company and customer data?

Our Sellina solution , apart from the standard solutions resulting from Headless itself, stands out:

• The end user never has direct access to the admin or Magento. In our solution, Magento is hidden from the world and there is no way for unauthorized access, for example, to the admin panel.
• Magento is completely separated from the front-end by implementing a dedicated API that serves as a proxy between the front-end and back-end layers. All requests to retrieve resources from Magento are translated and filtered through the API, which then connects to Magento in its own way.
• The frontend layer only uses the backend layer when necessary. Users searching the product catalog or blog do not use Magento resources. Product information is properly indexed in a separate database (ElasticSearch), and this API connects directly to it.
• the frontend application is written in NEXT, in which part of the code (the more sensitive one) is executed on the server and the rest on user devices.

Summary

Data security in online stores is crucial, both for customers and for the stores themselves. A potential data leak could mean significant financial penalties for the company responsible for administering the data.
Native solutions are highly sophisticated systems, making their security more difficult to maintain. Furthermore, the combination of frontend and backend makes unauthorized access to data easier than with alternative solutions.
Technology Headless offers new, more effective methods of data security. By separating the frontend and backend, which are connected via API, online stores can provide their customers with maximum security.