The role of runtime protection in eCommerce security
E-commerce security refers to a set of principles for conducting secure online transactions. Steps and protocols are included in these guidelines to help protect the selling and acquisition of products and services via the internet. Appropriate e-commerce security measures increase consumer confidence by protecting their Personal Identifiable Information (PII) that is generally provided during transactions, increasing their trust in the merchant to purchase with them again, which leads to long-term sales.
E-commerce fraud has increased by 18%
According to Juniper Research, e-commerce fraud has grown by 18% in the last year, with losses rising from $17.5 billion in 2020 to more than $20 billion in 2021. As a result of this increase, online retailers of all sizes and industries have begun to assess their risks and vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, most businesses do not have the time to identify, develop, and implement changes before the start of the online shopping season.
What are the most common e-commerce security concerns, and how can Runtime Protection help?
According to studies, the following forms of cyberattacks are responsible for a large portion of this fraud. To ensure that your business is safe, the following sections include extensive descriptions of each threat, as well as the actions to ensure that your Runtime Protection (RASP) security rules are up to date:
Third-party providers and the supply chain
According to recent research, approximately 70% of modern online applications use third-party libraries, plugins, or software, resulting in a code supply chain that enterprises have come to rely on. Hackers have taken notice of the rise in third-party code usage and created malicious malware that infiltrates the supply chain invisibly. Spyware, viruses, trojans, and ransomware are examples of infected third-party code that might cause future harm by readily injecting itself into confidential data sources.
Software from a third party and a supply chain solution
RASP should be set to “Track Application Dependencies.” This option keeps track of and reports on all third-party vendor software that is loaded into memory by the application. For the initial and future scans, double-check the scanning intervals.
As appropriate, enable and adjust the RASP Networking Activity module. This module provides security against unwanted networking activity, as well as extra parameters to limit network protections to activity that begins from an HTTP request and an “Allow list” of known-safe TCP/IP hosts or endpoints.
SQL Injection
Attackers are always on the hunt for specific flaws, such as SQL injections (SQLi). Due to the search options and capabilities that are frequently supplied to customers as a way to assist them in finding the right products, e-commerce stores are vulnerable to SQLi. Pressing the enter key after entering a product name into the search box frequently sends the search terms to the database for matching results, which are then shown on the web page. Instead of sending a product name to the database, hackers try to submit database queries, which can expose data tables, consumer information, and other sensitive information, resulting in a devastating data leak.
Solution based on SQLi
The RASP SQLi module must be enabled. Even the most sophisticated SQLi, such as those originating from other APIs, partner applications, RSS feeds, or synthesized queries, can be blocked.
Site-to-site scripting (XSS)
Hackers, like SQLi, are constantly checking web applications for cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities and have a variety of methodologies and methods that can cause serious damage to e-commerce businesses. XSS (also known as a content injection) is similar to SQLi in that it targets the front-end of websites rather than the back-end for confidential data, altering how users interact with the site. For example, XSS can hijack product URLs, redirecting customers to an illegitimate website where they can continue buying while also stealing their personal information. XSS can result in a loss of revenue as well as a loss of consumer trust.
XSS Solution
The RASP Content Injection (XSS) module must be enabled. Whether fragmented, a whole document, plain text, or mixed content, this module can properly scan all incoming code for Content injections, including HTML, XML, JSON, and JavaScript.
Aside from these safeguards, RASP provides a variety of security features and modules to protect enterprise applications and sensitive data from unwanted access. Command Injection and Path Traversal assaults, which were the principal objectives of the enormous Solar Winds cyberattack, are protected by RASP defenses. Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF), Weak Cryptography hashes and algorithms, illegal network activity, and more are all protected by RASP security modules.