How to secure a PrestaShop store from hackers in 2022?

For the past few years, the online retailing industry has acquired immense popularity all over the globe. It has also led us to proper security needs in the web world and secure your web store from malware and hackers. 

Customers will always trust you with their payment option details and other personal and sensitive information. The data is exceptionally lucrative to hackers and cybercriminals. Thus, security should be your top priority if you are an online business owner. 

Nowadays, PrestaShop is an ecommerce platform that has become a trend for setting a website by the small to giant enterprises. But like any other online platform, PrestaShop is not safe from hacking. In this article, we will discuss the method to secure your PrestaShop store from hackers. These hacks are efficient and easy to implement. 

SSL certificate implementation

Implementing the SSL certificate will give an immense boost to the security of your PrestaShop website. It maintains a standard rule to ensure the safety of the users in the PrestaShop store. 

SSL certificate works in the cryptography process of the elliptical curve, where it generates two exclusive pairs. This will prevent hackers from attacking and enhance the security of the PrestaShop store. Thus, purchase an SSL certificate and install it on your PrestaShop store. 

Stronger Credentials

You should make sure that the admin password in the dashboard is strong and secure and is difficult to crack. Do not use any hard coded or default credentials on the website. 

Also, never implement common passcodes like password, admin, birth date, name, and more. The password for the cPanel, FTP, and dashboard always need to be separate. It is of the highest security to set up a strong password to prevent data leakage from the PrestaShop store. 

Make the core files invisible with .htaccess

As an admin, you have to make sure that no core files of your PrestaShop website are publicly visible. Also, ban all spam and fake IPs. You can make the core file hidden with the help of the .htaccess file. This file will implement HTTPS usage and stop some serious script injection attacks. 

Set up the preferences

The dashboard preferences settings will also enhance the security of the Prestashop web store. With the help of the cookies, you can manage and track the users with no difficulty and recognize the original visitors from the counterfeit ones. You can also identify fake logins through cookies. 

If there is a mismatch between the IP of the cookie to which it was issued, then it is most probably a hacker. However, some visitors use dynamic IPs, which change every time they visit your website. 

The admin can enable the cookies from the preference segment or module installation. There are several free and paid PrestaShop modules for cookie bars to use on your web store. 

One other significant security feature available in PrestaShop is Increased Front Office security. You can find this alternative in the general segment of the preferences settings. By switching on this feature, the system will assign an exclusive session URL to each user, whenever they visit your website. It will prevent any attacks due to privilege escalation. If you want more information then check the detail guide on preferences. 

Altering the URL of the default admin

Every hacker and cybercriminal knows the way to the backend of your PrestaShop web store if you do not change the original or the default admin URL. 

It will make your online store vulnerable to numerous threats like code execution, Brute-Force, bypass of various security codes, and the list goes on. Thus after setting up the PrestaShop website, always change the default URL and make your website backend unavailable to everyone you do not want to.

Secure the permission of PrestaShop folder or file

As a business owner, protect every PrestaShop folder and file for random accessibility. One of the most convenient and best ways to do this is by enabling correct permissions for accessing the directory and file of your website. The recommended permission to access the folder is -755, and that of the files is 644. 

Set up the security modules

There are various modules and plugins, enhancing the PrestaShop web store security. They will secure the website from unknown cyberattacks, lock the unwanted access to the front office, allow only authorized personnel, and more.

The security modules will also generate exclusive keys for each sale, check if the packed orders are correct, add a captcha for stopping the bots, and prevent spam IPs from accessing the website. The most renowned security plugins that you can install on your PrestaShop website are reCaptcha, Store Fixer, Anti-spam, and more. 

Backup and Updates

Keeping all the installations updated is another way to improve the security of the PrestaShop website. It should be updated to the current version, and also make sure that you have taken a backup of the installation. It will assist you in restoring every file and folder if there is any malware or seaware attack. 

Antivirus installation and Firewall activation

Investing in the top antivirus software will help protect your website in the long run. It will accelerate the security and stop any unwanted attack on the store. Also, enable PrestaShop Firewall, which will block all the unsafe traffic coming from HTTP. The antivirus software will also scan for the virus in any installation files in PrestaShop. 

Wrapping it up

It is now clear how every business owner should protect their web store from cybercrime and hackers. You always have to be extra careful with the information you share on the PrestaShop store. The above plugins and modules will help you to secure and enhance security for your online store. Always select a module or a plugin verified and approved by trusted developers or companies.  

If you need help with PrestaShop development services, contact WebDeskSolution! We are a highly professional and experienced ecommerce development company with a decade of PrestaShop experience.