The only thing that is as synonymous with the holidays as
food is shear fact that there arent enough hours in the day and shopping. And
due to the fact that there arent enough hours in the day, most people will be
turning to their computers, tablets, and phones to get their shopping done. While
this may add convenience for shoppers and added business for companies, it can
cause major security dangers for consumers and brands. According to The Data
Breach Investigations Report, there are an estimated 174 million compromised
records, 81% of which are used for some type of hacking. Both consumer and
company money is at stake when online
fraud strikes, but companies also have their reputation at stake. That
means if an ecommerce site gets hit with a case of identity
theft or other fraudulent activities, they will suffer the initial loss of
money on top of potentially losing a customer for life. With the new craze of
online reviews and social media, consumers can tarnish a brand fairly easily if
they have a bad experience.
So how can business protect their customers and brand image
during this holiday madness? In an article posted in Mashable, Scot Terban, a security
consultant, says, the most effective way to protect your business from
hackers is to think like a hacker. He also even so boldly suggests hiring one
to protect your business. Perhaps his suggested is more a part of the metaphor
as opposed to a real suggestion, but it holds a lesson to be learned by
companies. Security measures and functions should be a top priority in web site
development especially any that consistently collect personal information.
Whether its online banking or shopping, fraud prevention
is key to keeping a company safe from security dangers.
As Greg Hammermaster, president of Sage Payments, states in
the Mashable article, web and mobile developers are not always aware and/or
educated on payment security. This is where the gaps in security can develop
and hackers and thieves can make their way in. By implementing identity
verification and authentication as a part of preventative measures,
companies can better protect their consumers by denying access to anyone who
cannot pass the authentication questions. These fraud prevention solutions can
help ensure happy shoppers and safer ecommerce sites.
[Contributed by EVS Marketing]
