Magento is the world leading eCommerce platform today that online retailers choose to grow their businesses. The availability of variety of premium Magento extension and flexibility has been the reason for its growth with over 22% of the top eCommerce websites using it. However, following the increasing demand of Magento, it has been the apple of hackers’ eyes.

No doubt, Magento is one of the safest Open Source eCommerce platform as Magento takes users’ safety as a top priority and releases security patches to make users feel secure. Just like any other leading platform, security concerns are constantly discovered. Let’s explore some of the precautionary measures that can be taken to combat security attacks and prevent yourself from becoming a victim of the next prey of the hackers.

Choose Complex Username & Password

Hackers are really smart, so don’t just let yourself be hacked that easily. Set username and password that are unique and complicated enough to leave the attackers in a fix. Also, don’t ignore the warning of changing the password. Here are some tips to increase your password security:

  1. Never set common admin username such as administrator, admin or root.
  2. Username and password should be smart and hard to remember.
  3. Make sure the password includes uppercase, lowercase letters, numbers and some symbols.
  4. Choose password with maximum character length.
  5. Never use company name in password (Which most people do).
  6. Change the password after every 3-5 months.
  7. Password should not have been reused

 

Modify Admin Path

A default admin path simplifies a hacker’s job of cracking username and password. Keep changing the admin path after a certain period of time. Because with the default admin path, hackers can spot the admin’s credentials using Brute Force technique. Admin path can be changed using the following ways:

From admin backend

System → Configuration→Admin→Admin Base URL→Set Custom Admin Path→Select ‘Yes’.

Another way to make the changes is to implement in your local.xml configuration file. Use the given path:

app/etc/local.xml


The given codes will be displayed in local.xml configuration file. Place “New Admin Path” in the place of “Admin.”

  1. <admin>
  2. <routers>
  3. <adminhtml>
  4. <args>
  5. <frontName><![CDTA[admin] ]</frontName>
  6. </args>
  7. </routers>
  8. </admin>

Now save the configuration file and refresh your cache.

Two Factor Authentication

Using two factor authentication is the best method to ward off potential security attacks. This helps prevent unreliable sources from gaining access to your Magento backend. If select this security function, you need to enter a security code that is generated randomly once in every 30 seconds, which is apart from entering the username and password. This ensures the hacker cannot log in to site even with the admin credential as he won’t be having access to the security code.

Use genuine Extensions

Free extension seem cool and affordable, but they can be risky as you might be attracting some bugs and viruses with them. Go for only the premium Magento extensions by a reliable service provider for better security and reliability, ensuring your web store is far beyond the reach of a hacker.

No customer would want to visit your store unless you assure them that their transaction is highly secure and using premium Magento extensions is an ideal solution as they process the payment in a secure manner, ensuring online customers that payment details given by them are kept safe. So, do an extension research before integrating third party extensions to your store.

Take Backup Frequently

Taking backup of your store’s database and Magento files on a regular basis is the best way to mitigate the damages caused by security attacks. Never store the data in the same server, but hire another server for this purpose where your Magento store is not hosted. Cloud based servers are highly recommended as they’re very secure and synchronize well with your Magento store.

In the end, remember that no site can be 100% secure, but you can always do your best to keep it safe with updated security patches released by the Magento community. Try implementing the precautionary measures mentioned to successfully shield your site from potential attacks.