How to Protect Your Online Business from Formjacking

If you have an eCommerce site or a website where users login, there is need to protect it against formjacking. Formjacking is one of the recent cyber-attack means hackers use to collect sensitive information from a website form. It might be a credit card processing form, login or mailing list subscription form and even chatbot apps. Other data that could be hacked through are your Social Security Number (SSN) or any other information that is required in a signup form. You will learn how formjacking works and how you can protect your online website from the attack. Consumers will also learn the measures to take in order not to fall victim to formjacking.

How FormJacking Works

Formjacking is the cyber version of ATM card skimming. Since the implementation of EMV chip technology, hackers now turned to formjacking attack. This cyber crime became rampant in 2018 and about 5000 online sites fall victim monthly. The main targets of these hackers who use formjacking are eCommerce websites, where buyers input their credit card details during payout. When these hackers successfully get the credit card details, they use or sell it to other cyber-criminals.

One painful thing about this cyber crime is that the injected malware does not in any way affect data processing of the form where it is injected. If it is in a payment processing form, the retailer still receives the order information and payment. Also, it may take weeks or even months before the victim will notice the theft. This is because they usually wait and monitor the bank account linked to the credit card. Once there is enough fund in the card they use it to make purchases online or even transfer it to their online bank accounts.

These hackers inject short invisible, malicious javascript short codes into a website’s form. Once your customers enter their credit card or other required details and click on submit, a copy of all the data they entered in the form is sent to the cyber criminal. There are some groups of hackers who sell formjacking malware to other hackers. One of the most popular of such groups is the Magecart group. The origin of this cyber crime is traced to this group.

The main target of these fraudsters are small scale and medium scale online companies or eCommerce sites. Big companies are not left aside because of it mode of operation.

There are other cyber security terms and cyber threat you should know as an online business owner.

See:

• 5 Best Genuine Websites to Work & Make Money Online From Home
• 12 Best Ways to Raise Funds & Save Money for Young Businesses

Ways to Protect your Online Company & eCommerce Site from Formjacking

Always Implement Sub Resource Integrity (SRI) Tags

These tags use cryptographic hashes to ensure that the files your web application fetches does not contain malicious codes.

Use Up to Date Anti-Virus Software on your Systems

Never allow your system’s anti-virus software to go outdated because they help to prevent the effect of malicious malware.

Regular Site Code Audit

Run Code Audits on your eCommerce sites regularly so that any breach can be noticed and taken care of on time.

Monitor your Sites Outbound Links

Most links redirect to another site different from the URL you entered in your web browser. Make sure the final destination of all your outbound links are safe. Some security software tools can help you do that.

Use a Secure Payment Gateway

Most third party applications are also victims to formjacking. Ensure the payment processing company that manages your sites payment are very secured.

Check:

• 10 Best and Worst Countries to Start a Business in the World
• 9 Best Sites to Buy Affordable SEO Optimized WordPress Themes

How Customers can Stay Safe from Formjacking

As an online consumer, there are some measures you should take to ensure you don’t fall victim to formjacking.

• Use Credit Card or Prepaid Debit Card for Online Purchase: This is because the reversal of fraudulent transactions is easier with these types of cards. The difference between debit card and credit card is where the fund is taken from. For debit cards, your money is taken directly from your bank account. But for credit cards, your bills can pile up, then it will be taken from your account balance later.
• Buy from Trusted Sites: Never buy from sites that has not gained trust. Trusted sites go extra miles to secure their applications.
• Never Use Public WIFI when Making Online Purchases: The Wifi I mean here are those free ones provided by hospitals, banks and restaurants. But you can connect your phone to internet through your laptop hotspot or vice versa.

See:

• 9 Business Mistakes Young Entrepreneurs Make & How to Correct them
• 8 Best Lucrative Online & Offline Business Ideas for Students

Conclusion

New cyber threats evolve from time to time. Formjacking is one of the trending cyber crimes. Apply these tips to ensure your eCommerce sites and login platforms are safe from formjacking and some other cyber threat. It will also help to build your online trust.

YouTube video blogging is another trending way to make money online from home. You make videos and upload them on YouTube and then apply for YouTube AdSense. Google pays you monthly. But you must be approved before you start making money. I shared AdSense tips to help you get approved faster. Here are some YouTube video SEO tips that will help your videos rank high fast.

Do you have any contribution to make in this article? Feel free to use the comment section. Don’t forget to stay updated by subscribing to our blog via email. Share this article to your social media friends. Enjoy!