--- title: "The Relevance of Phishing Protection for Ecommerce Businesses | Phish Protection" description: "Today" image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/relevance-of-phishing-protection-for-ecommerce-businesses.png" canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/relevance-of-phishing-protection-for-ecommerce-businesses/" --- Quick Answer Today's cyber adversaries don't merely rely on computer viruses and worms to target an individual digitally but make use of sophisticated social engineering ( ) techniques to rob the end-users of their PII (Personally Identifiable Information) and other confidential information. And businesses are no different, especially online businesses such as e-commerce; they are more lucrative targets for them. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Frelevance-of-phishing-protection-for-ecommerce-businesses%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Relevance%20of%20Phishing%20Protection%20for%20Ecommerce%20Businesses&url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Frelevance-of-phishing-protection-for-ecommerce-businesses%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Frelevance-of-phishing-protection-for-ecommerce-businesses%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Frelevance-of-phishing-protection-for-ecommerce-businesses%2F&title=The%20Relevance%20of%20Phishing%20Protection%20for%20Ecommerce%20Businesses "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=The%20Relevance%20of%20Phishing%20Protection%20for%20Ecommerce%20Businesses&body=Check out this article: https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Frelevance-of-phishing-protection-for-ecommerce-businesses%2F "Share via Email") ![Phish Protection blog post image](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2021/08/phishing-attack-prevention-6718.jpg) _Today’s cyber adversaries don’t merely rely on computer viruses and worms to target an individual digitally_ but make use of sophisticated [social engineering](/resources/protection-against-social-engineering-phishing-and-ransomware/) ( phishing ) techniques to rob the end-users of their PII (Personally Identifiable Information) and other confidential information. And businesses are no different, especially online businesses such as e-commerce; they are more **lucrative targets** for them. Their modus operandi includes masquerading themselves as authorized entities, sending out fraudulent emails, text messages, or even making phone calls to lure customers and clients and mislead them into divulging sensitive information. Here’s how these threat actors target e-commerce businesses. ### Cyber Threats That Target E-commerce Businesses Before delving into how you can protect your information assets, you must first understand how online adversaries target your business and customers. Some of the most common **cyber threats** faced by e-commerce businesses are discussed below. #### Card Cracking _Card cracking occurs when cybercriminals acquire credit card details_. Despite having these details, cybercriminals do not have information regarding the limit of credit cards. To verify this information, they initially make small purchases. _Since these purchases are small, they often go unnoticed by the impacted customer_. When they notice that they are victims of **cyber theft**, larger orders have already been placed against their credit cards . #### Chargeback Fraud _E-commerce businesses are often a victim of chargeback fraud_. These frauds are usually carried out by attackers who make purchases from the businesses and then claim that they never received the product they ordered. The enterprises then have to reimburse the “loss” of this product. #### Refund Fraud This kind of fraud occurs when a purchase is made with stolen credit card information. The attackers purchase with this information and then contact the e-commerce business they have to cancel the order. _They then ask for reimbursement against the purchase to be sent to them through another medium instead of refunding the credit card_. #### Triangulation Fraud Triangulation fraud involves an e-commerce store, a shopper, and a cybercriminal. The cybercriminal sets up an e-commerce store on a storefront platform (such as Amazon) and claims to sell high-end products at competitive prices. The customers looking for a good deal make a purchase from this store. Once they make a purchase, the cybercriminal will use **stolen credit card** information to make purchases according to the orders they have received from their customers. Although the customers of these stores receive their orders, the credit card owner suffers a loss. This loss might have to be refunded by the storefront platform. ### How Can Phishing Attacks Threaten Your Ecommerce Business? > “When I talk to prospects about phishing protection, I don’t lead with features - I lead with math. A single successful BEC attack costs $125,000 on average. Phish Protection for a 50-person company costs $49 a month. The ROI calculation writes itself. You’re not buying software, you’re buying insurance that actually works.” - **Dan Calkin**, VP of Sales, DuoCircle **Phishing attacks**are not aimed at stealing just your money. They target something way more valuable, your data. An e-commerce business can have the PII (Personally Identifiable Information) and other critical information such as payment details of thousands of customers, which is nothing less than a goldmine for threat actors. Phishing \_ can have a variety of adverse effects on online businesses when subjected to data breaches\_, for example: ![Phishing attack prevention](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2021/08/phishing-attack-prevention-6718.jpg) - **_Monetary Losses_**_:_ Financial loss is one of the worst impacts of a phishing attack. A customer or employee clicking or replying to a [phishing email](/blog/sophisticated-new-tactic-makes-phishing-emails-harder-to-detect/) could end up jeopardizing their bank credentials, passwords, etc., leading to financial losses. The impact can be ascertained by the global average cost of a data breach, which stands at a staggering[ $3.86 million.](https://www.statista.com/markets/424/topic/1065/cyber-crime-security/#overview) - **_Loss of Sensitive Data:_** \_ Phishing \_ attacks may lead to the loss of sensitive data\_, such as login and passwords details, bank accounts details, stolen credit card information related to clients and customers or even the organization itself. - **_Loss of reputation:_**Keeping its brand value intact is of utmost importance for any e-commerce business.**Phishing**\*\* attacks\*\*, once occurred, may drive away existing and potential customers in fear of fraudulent activities and data breaches. - **_Disruption of Normal Conduct of Business_**\_ : Cybercriminals may target your bank accounts, causing you to suspend the account actions and transactions till the issue of cyber theft is resolved. ### How to Protect Your Ecommerce Business from Phishing? There is an array of[anti-phishing solutions](/products/advanced-threat-defense/)that you can implement in your e-commerce business. Here are a few of the best [phishing protection](/) methods for your enterprise: #### Shift from HTTP to HTTPS Protocols _HTTP protocols are not only backdated but also open to phishing, malware, and other attacks_. Many browsers often mark HTTP protocols as unsecured and refuse to let the user gain access to the website. By shifting to **HTTPS protocols**, you can keep sensitive data and user credentials protected from cybercriminals to an extent (do note that this is not one-hundred percent foolproof). As businesses strengthen their security posture, investing in [custom ecommerce website development](https://www.chromatix.com.au/services/ecommerce/) supports safer browsing by allowing developers to build security features directly into the site’s framework rather than relying on generic, less protected setups. #### Train Your Employees and Inform Your Customers Employees establish the first line of defense against **social engineering threats** such as phishing. You can [train your employees](/products/phishing-awareness-training/) to avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments sent through malicious-looking emails . You may remind your customers that the addresses and logos used by cybercriminals are often quite similar to the original ones except for an alphabet or two that might be altered. You can inform your customers to **not reveal sensitive data** over SMS and voice calls. You can explain that your enterprise is unlikely to ask for any such data. Maintaining basic cyber hygiene practices and vigilance can go a long way in protecting your e-commerce business from**phishing**\*\* attacks\*\*. #### Keeping Regular Backups of Data [Malware and ransomware](/products/malware-and-ransomware-protection/) attacks often target your data: once you lose access to your computer, you will no longer acquire the data you stored there. To prevent such a mishap, you can deploy an automatic **backup software** or service that can _keep your data protected on an external device_. Henceforth, even if you lose access to your stored data on the computer, it will not affect your e-commerce business tremendously. #### Anti-malware and Anti-ransomware Solutions _You can install software and solutions that can prevent malware and ransomware attacks_. Software solutions from reliable vendors can assist in keeping such attacks at bay. Certain [anti-malware software](/products/malware-and-ransomware-protection/) can help you decrypt and remove the malware from your system in the worst-case scenario, while others can help you prevent a potential cyber attack. #### How Do You Implement New and Strong Passwords? ![Phishing email prevention](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2021/08/phishing-email-prevention-9175.jpg) According to a recent survey, 21% of [ransomware attacks](https://www.statista.com/statistics/700965/leading-cause-of-ransomware-infection/) take place due to vulnerable passwords resulting in ease of access. Hence, implementing **strong passwords** and changing them now and then is vital for business owners and customers alike. #### How Do You Implement 2FA & MFA? 2FA (2-factor Authentication) and MFA (Multi-factor Authentication) use two or more factors to [authenticate the user](https://rublon.com/blog/mfa-2fa-difference/) trying to access an application. They utilize messages, emails, or thumbprints to verify whether the user accessing an application is genuine or not. This provides an additional layer of safety to consumers, where transactions are made only after completing all the authentication steps. ### Final Words Global losses to cyberattacks amounted to nearly $1 billion \_ in 2020\_, and this trend is likely to [continue in the coming years](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/07/cybersecurity-202-global-losses-cybercrime-skyrocketed-nearly-1-trillion-2020/). Today’s threat actors are smart, and business owners need to take relevant[anti-phishing](/)and other such cybersecurity measures to remain a step ahead of them at all times. It is all the more important for e-commerce stores as they not only have to protect their information assets but also **protect the information** of their customers to keep their privacy intact. ## Topics [ Phishing Awareness ](/tags/phishing-awareness/) ![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) [ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) General Manager Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across DuoCircle's 2,000+ customer base. [LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) ## Protect your inbox from phishing attacks Real-time email security with 60-day free trial. No credit card required. [Start Free Trial](https://portal.duocircle.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=101&brand=phishprotection) [View Pricing](/pricing/) ## Related Articles [ Foundational 5m 0ktapus, Okta Breach Helps Attackers Launch Sophisticated Supply Chain Attacks Sep 5, 2022 ](/blog/0ktapus-okta-breach-helps-attackers-launch-sophisticated-supply-chain-attacks/)[ Foundational 14m 12 Real-World Spear Phishing Examples And The Red Flags You Missed Feb 4, 2026 ](/blog/12-real-world-spear-phishing-examples-and-the-red-flags-you-missed/)[ Foundational 2m 8 million Android users fell prey to SpyLoan malware on Google Play Store Dec 5, 2024 ](/blog/8-million-android-users-fell-prey-to-spyloan-malware-on-google-play-store/)[ Foundational 1m A Big Part of the Phishing Problem is You Sep 17, 2019 ](/blog/a-big-part-of-the-phishing-problem-is-you/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. 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