September 14, 2020, was an unlucky day for numerous Magento commercial owners. In the biggest malicious operation reported thus far, more than 2,800 Magento 1 shops were hacked to acquire credit card specifics.
It is not uncommon for cyber attackers to cause chaos on online retail platforms. Malicious computer software such as viruses, worms, trojans, and other types of ecommerce scams can be found all over the internet. There will always be an individual intent on exploiting a vulnerable system or illegally obtaining access with the purpose of causing harm.
If you don’t want your organization to fall prey to the next Magento security incident, then this guide is for you. Learn more to detect key Magento safety flaws and how to avoid them to make certain your info and your customers’ info are protected.
First Things First, What’s the Problem with Magento 1 Security?
The main issue with Magento 1 is that it is no longer being maintained. Adobe declared on June 20th, 2020 that Magento 1 would not be supported anymore, making it susceptible to cyberattacks and no longer useable.
The cause of the MageCart attack that was previously discussed can be found here. Stores that still use older versions of Magento can be easily targeted by individuals who wish to take personal and financial information from customers who buy online.
Cybercriminals can easily search for out-of-date versions of Magento and employ programmed robots to gain access to them, upload shell programs, and place the credit card skimming malicious software. End-users cannot detect card-skimming assaults, so website operators must move their systems to the most recent rendition of Magento in order to bear responsibility. It can be assumed that any website utilizing Magento 1. x has been breached.
— Paul Bischoff, a privacy advocate with Comparitech.
Merchants should make Magento store security their top priority. Magento 1 isn’t secure and will never be. But Magento 2 will keep you in safe hands.
Lessons Learned and Implemented in Magento 2 Security
If you suffer a tick bite, taking the tick away won’t be enough to stop getting ill. The same happened with Magento. Due to the discovery of a severe flaw in Magento, it was essential to making an upgrade. Adobe completely changed their system in order to get rid of any security problems connected to Magento and protect the people they work with from similar assaults in the future.
Adobe has implemented new security measures following the end of support for Magento 1.
Enhanced Password Management
Magento 1 applies a less secure technique for encrypting passwords (which involves converting a series of characters into what is called a hashed password). Magento 2 now uses Argon2ID13, a more powerful hashing algorithm, to tackle the vulnerability in Magento instead of the regular SHA-256.
Improved Prevention of XSS Attacks
Magento has put into effect fresh regulations to stop cross-site scripting (XSS) assaults by establishing escaped details as the standard.
XSS assaults are a kind of malicious programming infusion utilized in phishing endeavors, recording key presses, and other unapproved activities.
More Flexible File System Ownership and Permissions
Beginning with version 2.0.6, Magento has enabled people to adjust the access regulations of their file systems. It is suggested that some folders and files should be able to only be written to in a development setting and only readable in a production setting.
Improved Prevention of Clickjacking Exploits
Magento uses an X-Frame-Options HTTP request header to protect your store from clickjacking attacks. For more information, see the X-Frame-Options header.
Auto-Generating Encryption Key
Magento employs an encryption key to secure passwords and confidential information. At the moment, Magento 2 employs the AES-256 algorithm, which allows you to create a spontaneous key directly on the administrative dashboard.
Use of Non-Default Magento Admin URL
Hackers deploy automated bots that attempt to guess passwords in order to gain access to consumers’ sensitive information and merchants’ access to behind-the-scenes operations. Magento’s default setup creates an Admin URI which is randomized in order to reduce the risk of this type of attack.
Consistent Magento 2 Security Patches and Updates
The prime justification for Magento 2’s superior security in comparison to Magento 1 is its continual updates. Adobe’s ultimate safety update for Magento 1 was distributed on June 22nd, 2020. Magento 2 store owners receive their security patches once every three months via an Adobe Security Bulletin.
How Magento 2 Minimizes the Impact of Vulnerabilities
Along with Magento 2’s improved architecture and security, steps have been taken to reduce the effects of any security risks.
They include:
- Bug Bounty Program — Developers have rewarded bounties of up to $10,000 for bugs found in Magento. This is a great way to get the community involved in Magento security.
- Magento Security Center — New security updates, patches, best practices, and much more can be found on this resource. Whether you need more information about a patch or need instructions to install patches/updates, this is the place to go.
- Security Alert Registry — The Magento team responds to vulnerabilities and provides patches and updates to protect stores against threats. Subscribe to the Security Alert Registry to receive emails whenever there is a new security release.
- Code quality standards — The Magento core development team uses the Magento Coding Standard and recommends that developers who create Magento extensions and customizations also use this standard.
- Extension quality program — All extensions submitted to the Magento Marketplace go through a multi-step review process: technical and marketing reviews. If either review is not passed, the extension will not be allowed to be published.
Potential Security Risks Seen on Magento 2
Even if you migrated from Magento 1 to Magento 2, either before or after the deadline associated with its sunsetting, it is important to be aware of the potential risks and to take steps to reduce them. According to the analysis done by Foregenix, a cybersecurity firm, in October 2020, more than half of Magento 2 websites were considered to be at a very dangerous or extremely dangerous security level.
Open-source software, like Magento, has pros and cons. A plus of this situation is that you have the ability to access and modify the original code, which opens up a lot of possibilities for customizing. Under Magento’s Shared Responsibility model, there are drawbacks if you’re taking on some of the duties of guarding your website.
Between the release of a new security repair and its actual installation, you could be vulnerable. If you do not upgrade your software to the newest version, which is your duty, you are providing more space for harmful individuals to penetrate.
Some businesses find the idea of tailoring open-source software to meet their needs and having the ability to control it appealing, even though there are a larger number of risks associated with it. The following are some of the most prominent threats typically experienced in Magento online stores.
Server attacks.
If your ecommerce site runs on a server you oversee, you must be ready to ward off distributed denial of service assaults. These attacks, known as distributed denial of service (DDoS), deliberately swamp the server with high volumes of traffic, causing a disruption of service to your online store.
It can be rephrased as Imagining it as a blockage that is preventing potential customers from entering the parking area of your store. Shoppers not having the ability to explore your store or finalize orders can result in you losing money.
This only applies if you are self-hosting either the Magento Open Source or the Magento Commerce (installed on your own business premise). Amazon Web Services is responsible for the server security of Magento Commerce Cloud.
Website defacement.
Sometimes, malicious users just want to wreak havoc. Your website’s homepage may be vandalized or various files across your site could be erased in a case of website defacement. Though insults and bigotry aren’t typically the aim of an attack, it is common for attackers to leave rude or hostile comments when they deface a website.
In October 2020, Magento released a security update to mend a flaw that allowed for remote code execution, a system that could be exploited by malicious individuals to damage your website. Using outside applications and connections can also lead to potential security issues.
This can of course negatively affect the image of your company if it is not spotted quickly. Shoppers will be reluctant to provide their payment details in order to finish a purchase if they feel your ecommerce website is not trustworthy.
Credit card hijacking.
Card skimming or silent card capture, also known as credit card hijacking, takes place when attackers are able to utilize a flaw that grants them access to the payment information being transmitted through your shopping cart. This is a trademark maneuver for hackers belonging to the Magecart group, as seen in the incident from September 2020.
Cyber attacks of this type take advantage of software weaknesses to inject malicious JavaScript into web-based checkout programs. It isn’t difficult to do, which is why credit card skimming is a regularly used form of cybercrime when it comes to online stores.
This can be a major threat considering it can go unnoticed for quite a while, endangering sensitive personal and financial details. Releasing the private information of your customers and placing them in peril of being a victim of fraud is a surefire way to destroy trust and repel people from getting new customers and keeping them loyal. This Visa document outlines the steps you should take if your website security has been compromised.
Botnetting.
Botnets are used for carrying out mundane activities over numerous sites much quicker than any person or group of people could imagine. The majority of utilization that bots engage in, referred to as “crawling,” is not designed to harm; this is the method in which search engines like Google are made aware of the existence and content of your website.
In some situations, they may be used to link your computer to their network of other devices, resulting in your system being managed by someone else. At that time, the botnet can be used to carry out destructive activities such as dispatching spam mail from your address to an immense amount of people on the web. Sending out messages that recipients don’t want will not only damage your brand’s credibility, but could also make it harder for any future messages to be delivered, as it increases the chances of your server being blocked by spam filters.
Remote code execution.
At the beginning of the year 2020, the Center for Internet Security warned of the potential problems in Magento software that could be used to permit faraway code performance. A remote code execution vulnerability allows an individual to execute untested software on your Magento shop.
Malefactors exploiting these susceptibilities could gain entrance to the system to install applications and observe, alter, or eliminate data. They might be able to establish fresh accounts with total user privileges.
Cross-site scripting.
XSS, otherwise known as Cross-Site Scripting, is another form of security flaw. Hackers are able to execute their own code on your Magento establishment. The malicious code will execute in the browsers of people who view the compromised pages of your store. In some instances, Cross-Site Scripting can be employed to modify the HTML content of a page, thus being utilized for phishing. Astra, a website security corporation, reported that Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) hacks have been the top vulnerability on Magento sites in the time frame of 2014 to 2019.
Migrate to a New, Secure Ecommerce Platform
If you appreciate the convenience of Magento but would prefer not to be concerned with safety measures, then you might contemplate making the change over to BigCommerce.
By transitioning to BigCommerce, your team will no longer have to worry about software and security updates. The Open SaaS platform has obtained certification according to the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and PCI DSS 3.2 standards at its highest level of security.
Selecting a SaaS platform contains hosting, dependable functioning, and safety already within it. The platform manages all software updates and security fixes, shielding you from server invasions and seeing that your PCI adequacy is preserved. Magento Commerce Cloud includes hosting that implements a shared responsibility model for security.
BigCommerce provides APIs that enable you to construct whatever desired, link up with additions without any trouble, come up with creative digital experiences, and amplify as you expand. Support for options such as headless and Progressive Web Apps, which would traditionally require an open-source platform, is provided by BigCommerce.
What to Do If Your Website Has Been Hacked
Don’t panic. If there had been a compromise of data or an exposure of information, it is not possible to retrieve it. The main thing that needs to be done is determining what information was leaked, collecting proof, and making sure further data isn’t getting out.
Follow your Incident Response Plan:
- Make an initial assessment
- Communicate the incident
- Contain the damage and minimize the risks
- Identify the severity of the compromise
- Preserve evidence
- Communicate any external notifications
- Compile and organize incident evidence
Takeaways — Magento Security Tips and Best Practices
Protecting the safety of your website and overall cybersecurity should be a top priority. You are not only maintaining a blog or website for yourself, but you are also accountable for ensuring the privacy of sensitive data which includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and credit card information.
Remember:
- Even a fully-patched and updated site can be hacked. For example, a weak admin password can be brute-forced and hackers can stroll right in and collect everything they want. So perform Magento security checks regularly.
- You cannot account for new vulnerabilities or zero-day exploits (a cyber attack that occurs on the same day a weakness is discovered). However, a strong incident response plan can help you stay one step ahead.
- “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Ben Franklin was right. If you’ve configured your store with security in mind, adhered to the cybersecurity workflow we’ve outlined, and bulletproofed your store, you can save yourself tons of time and heartache.
- Do not compromise on security, or your lack of security will compromise you.
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