5 top security tips for Magento eCommerce development

Magento eCommerce development is one of our specialities, and we love sharing our knowledge with others. So without further ado, here are our five top tips to keep your Magento store safe and secure!

1. Keep Magento Updated

Nobody’s perfect, not even the creators of the biggest ecommerce platform on the planet, this is why Magento are always repairing flaws in their code and hackers are always looking for vulnerabilities. Don’t panic, just keep on top of your Magento updates. Sign up to the Magento newsletter to hear when updates are being released. With the arrival of Magento 2, support for Magento 1 is likely to end in November this year. Always ensure that Magento updates are installed by a competent developer.

2. Only use Modules/Extensions from reputable sources

Magento is a modular platform meaning different aspects of its functionality can be turned on or off. The overall functionality can be extended by utilising modules from third parties (known as extensions), these can be free or paid for. There’s a wide array of extensions available from Magento Connect which can be installed by anyone, however, most will require the knowledge of an experienced developer

A lot of these modules are rarely maintained or stress tested for vulnerabilities, so always be sure to check the quality of the reviews and whether the author provides a good level of support. Sometimes it’s worth paying a little extra for a more reputable module with better support.

3. Keep your modules up to date

Once you’ve chosen the best possible modules make sure you’re signed up to the supplier’s newsletter as they will let you know when new versions of their modules are available. It’s really important to keep all modules updated as they usually combat potential vulnerabilities that hackers are always looking for. We would highly recommend a competent developer performs any module upgrade.

4. Keep your server up to date

This should be an entire post on its own but it goes without saying, server software such as PHP (the programming language Magento runs on) should always be kept up to date to ensure security vulnerabilities are eradicated. This probably isn’t something you can do yourself, but get in touch with your digital agency or hosting company and they should be able to help.

5. Use CloudFlare

Cloudflare.com is an absolutely fantastic tool that performs a wide array of useful functions. First and foremost it massively reduces the load on your store by serving cached content to visitors. With regards to security, they offer an SSL certificate which encrypts any data your visitors enter into the site.

SSL isn’t the only security feature. CloudFlare provides detailed statistics, alerts you to potential threats, blocks persistent troublemakers and provides a customisable firewall. Did I mention all of this is completely FREE?! (Payment plans are available for more features and a higher level of security).

Bonus tip –Check how secure your site is using MageReport.com.

We hope you enjoyed our top security tips for Magento eCommerce development. If you'd like to know more, you can schedule a call with our experts simply by clicking below.