Making purchases online has become very common for users. There are many platforms and services that we have at our disposal. We can buy all kinds of products, contract services and also in a simple way from a mobile or a computer, for example. However, you also have to take into account the security risks that may exist. In this article we are going to show what are the most common threats in electronic commerce .
Common attacks in e-commerce
When we talk about attacks when buying online we refer to any strategy that hackers can use to deceive the victim, to get their data or infect their devices. They can even control the account of the service or platform that we use to buy.
For this, as we say, they can use very different methods. Some are more common and therefore we must pay more attention. We are going to show which are the most common attacks in electronic commerce.
E-skimming
One of those threats, of those common attacks that we can see in electronic commerce, is what is known as e-skimming . It is also known as web skimming. It basically consists of a technique used by hackers to collect banking and personal information from online stores.
They achieve this through vulnerabilities that are in that online store and that are not corrected. They can configure the payment gateway to steal from visitors to that site. What they ultimately do is have control of that platform.
Adware
Another of the most common problems in e-commerce is adware . It can affect the pages we visit to buy and this could put our security at risk. They display misleading, abusive advertising and are generally intended to collect information from users.
This is something that damages both the site itself and the visitors. It stains the reputation of that platform, but it can also sneak malware onto users.
Product or offer baits
It is undoubtedly one of the most common threats in electronic commerce. Everyone at some point has come across a bait of a supposed product that has a great offer or a discount check for a certain platform.
We can receive this through instant messaging programs or social networks. We get a link, a file with the supposed offer, but in reality everything is a hoax. If we enter that page it may be full of adware or it may be a site that is actually controlled by attackers and they use it as Phishing.
Disfigurement
The disfigurement of a website in modifying that page partially or totally. It seeks to deceive users, to make them see that they are facing a site that is not really. In this way they gain your trust and can steal information, data of all kinds, and infect devices.
We already saw in another article some tools to check if a site has suffered a defacement attack.
Fake apps
One more point to keep in mind is the use of fake apps or plugins . Hackers are looking for users to buy through a program that has been maliciously modified. The intention is to collect data, steal payment information, etc.
Therefore our advice is always to install programs from official sources and not to use third-party add-ons that can be dangerous.
In short, electronic commerce is very present today but we must take into account the importance of protecting ourselves when buying. We should not take risks and it is important to know what are the most common attacks that we can face. We leave you an article with tips to check payments and secure transactions.