Comprehensive Guide to Magento Security: Protecting Your Online Store

It’s like having your front door wide open with a “come on in” sign on the front porch.

The issue:

5% of all Adobe Commerce and Magento stores have already been compromised by cybercriminals exploiting recently discovered vulnerabilities. With cybercrime projected to cost businesses around the world $9.5 trillion in 2024, Magento security is no longer a “nice to have” — it’s a necessity.

It’s an arms race.

If you’re running Magento eCommerce Services, you better have security at the forefront of your mind. Whether you work with this Magento agency to handle security or it’s an in-house thing, understanding the threat landscape could be the difference between running a business and going bust.

In this article, you will learn:

• A deeper understanding of the current Magento security threat landscape
• Essential Magento store security features every store needs
• Advanced Magento security protection strategies that actually work
• How to recover from security breaches
• How to build a long-term Magento security strategy

Understanding the Current Magento Security Threat Landscape

Want to know something that’ll keep you up at night?

A recently discovered Magento vulnerability called CosmicSting (CVE-2024-34102) received a near-perfect 9.8 out of 10 score from the security threat score metric.

This cross-site scripting vulnerability can allow hackers to read private files stored on your web server and execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations.

Cybercriminals are currently exploiting this vulnerability at a rate of three to five stores per hour. That’s three to five Magento stores getting hacked while you’re reading this post.

The scariest part? The owners of the hacked Magento stores don’t even know they’ve been hacked. Cybercriminals steal the encryption key, generate fake admin accounts, and inject scripts that scrape customer payment data.

Don’t think these attacks are random.

This is the new normal. Automated, high-volume, and targeted attacks designed specifically to bring down the most profitable eCommerce platforms. Supply chain attacks increased by 742% from 2019 to 2022 alone.

Essential Magento Store Security Features Every Store Needs

Here’s something to be clear about…

Basic security features are just the bare minimum, but basic security is no longer enough. Every attack vector on a Magento store needs protection — and that means more than the default security features. Here are the must-have security features:

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

This is the first thing you should enable. Two-factor authentication exponentially increases the difficulty of getting into your admin panel.

Why? Because even if they steal your password, hackers still need access to your phone or authentication app to get in.

Regular Security Patches and Updates

The XML backdoor vulnerability that currently is hacking Magento stores at three to five per hour was patched in February 2024. But thousands of stores are still using Magento version 2.4.5-p5 and older vulnerable versions.

Here’s the truth about Magento security:

If you’re not running Magento version 2.4.6-p4, 2.4.5-p6, or 2.4.4-p7 (or higher) your store is vulnerable to attack.

SSL Certificates and HTTPS

Every page of your Magento store should be served over HTTPS. This includes your checkout pages, customer account pages, and your admin panel.

Any page that’s not on HTTPS is vulnerable to eavesdropping and data interception. It’s like sending postcards instead of sealed envelopes.

Advanced Magento Security Protection Strategies That Actually Work

Basic security features should be the starting point of your security efforts but should never be the end point. If you want to bulletproof your Magento store against hacking, you need to think like a hacker.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A properly configured and managed WAF is like a bouncer at your Magento store’s front door. It analyses incoming web traffic and blocks requests flagged as malicious before they even hit your server.

The best part?

Modern WAFs are built with artificial intelligence that learns attack patterns and automatically updates its protection rules, making it smarter and more effective over time.

File Integrity Monitoring

This is where most store owners drop the ball on Magento security. File integrity monitoring tools track changes to your Magento files in real-time and alert you immediately to any suspicious activity.

Think of it like a security camera for your Magento store files. If someone tries to inject malicious code, you’ll know about it within minutes.

Database Security Hardening

Your customer data lives in your database, so it’s the most valuable and attractive target for hackers and cybercriminals. Database security hardening means you should:

• Change default database passwords.
• Restrict database user permissions.
• Enable database encryption.
• Perform regular database backups and test restore procedures.

Admin Panel Protection

Your Magento admin panel is the golden egg that cybercriminals want most. Here are the security best practices you should follow beyond basic two-factor authentication:

Rename your admin URL from the default /admin to something random and unguessable. This immediately stops automated hacking attempts dead in their tracks.

Enable IP whitelisting only allow trusted IP addresses to access your admin panel. Use a VPN with a static IP address if you’re working from multiple locations.

Set up login attempt monitoring automatically lock out IP addresses that repeatedly fail login attempts.

How to Recover From Security Breaches

Even if you have perfect security, there’s always the possibility that your Magento store will be hacked. When a breach occurs, the first 24 hours are the most critical in determining whether you’ll survive or go out of business.

Immediate Response Protocol

Step 1: Isolate the affected server immediately. Don’t try to fix the problem while the attack is happening.

Step 2: Change ALL passwords, including admin accounts, hosting accounts, database passwords, etc.

Step 3: Perform a complete malware scan with professional-grade security software. Don’t rely on basic antivirus alone.

Step 4: Audit your database for unauthorized admin accounts that hackers may have created for backdoor access.

Customer Communication

82% of consumers will stop engaging with your brand after a data breach. The key to customer retention during a security incident is communication.

Be transparent, take responsibility, and clearly communicate what steps you’re taking to remediate the situation.

Legal and Compliance Requirements

If your location or customer base requires it, you may also be legally required to report security breaches within certain timeframes. For example, GDPR requires you to report within 72 hours.

Building a Long-Term Magento Security Strategy

Security is not a “set it and forget it” exercise. Security strategies and solutions need regular review and maintenance. Here are some best practices for building a long-term security strategy:

Regular Security Audits

Schedule professional security audits at least twice a year. Security audits should include penetration testing, code reviews of custom extensions, server configuration analysis, and third-party integrations review.

Employee Training

Did you know that 68% of data breaches are the result of human error? If your store has any employees, they need regular training on identifying phishing attempts, creating strong passwords, and following security protocols.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Automated daily backups of your entire Magento installation, including files and database. Test your backups at least once per month to ensure they work in a real situation.

Keep backups in at least 3 places — local storage, cloud storage, and offsite physical storage for redundancy.

Extension and Theme Security

Third-party extensions and themes are the weak link in Magento security. Only use reputable developers, keep all extensions/themes updated, and remove unused extensions.

Unused extensions are still a potential attack vector for hackers, so keep it as simple and small as possible.

Wrapping It All Up

Magento security isn’t something you install a couple of plugins and call it a day. It’s a process of adding multiple layers of protection to make your Magento store an unattractive target for cybercriminals.

The stats speak for themselves, 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses and the majority never recover. The good news? With the right strategy, you can secure your Magento store, customers, and reputation.

Start with the basics:

• Enable two-factor authentication
• Upgrade to the latest Magento version
• Install SSL certificates across your entire Magento store
• Set up regular backups

Then move up to the advanced stuff like Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), file integrity monitoring, professional security audits, and more.

Your customers are trusting you with their personal information and payment data. Don’t let them down by cutting corners on security. Prevention is always cheaper than the cost of recovery.