It is no accident that the internet is still frequently referred to as “the Wild West.” The careless, the unwary, and even the tech-savvy are frequently victims of phishing schemes, spyware and malware attacks, denial of service incidents, fraud, and other types of security breaches. Especially if you sell internationally and use overseas payment processing, it is vital that you take steps to shield yourself and your customers from cybercrime.

1. Secure your network.

Criminals never sleep, and their ongoing goal is to find ways to usurp your defenses in order to get inside your network. Firewalls and antivirus software should be on the front lines of your fight against digital hackers. In addition, it is essential that you hide and password protect your network. Just like a burglar alarm on your house, these measures go a long way toward deterring criminals, who usually are looking for sites that are easy to infiltrate.

2. Have strong data backup protocols in place.

In recent years, ransomware attacks have devastated many industries ranging from education and health care to retail stores. In this crime, hackers install a virus on your network that locks every computer and deprives you of the use of assets such as website designs, databases, email lists, financial records, and other vital documentation. The criminals then contact you, promising to restore your information — usually at a steep cost.

The best way to fight this destructive crime is to minimize its chaotic effects with regular, comprehensive data backups. These should be sent to an off-site location that is totally isolated from your networks, ensuring that criminals cannot get to it. Another effective method of data protection involves encryption. When this protocol is in place, information can only be accessed by parties who have a secret key to decipher it.

3. Build system updates into your regular business routine.

Have you ever noticed how frequently your smartphone is updated to keep up with the changing security landscape? The same is true of the network software and programs that you use every day to run your business. If you allow your systems to fall behind in the update schedule, they will not be protected from the newest viruses and other forms of cyber attack.

4. Create a disaster readiness plan.

Don’t wait until calamity strikes to put a plan in place. It is far better to prepare well in advance when heads are clear. Be sure your plan includes the following elements to protect your data and to help you get up and running as soon as possible.

• A recovery time objective (RTO). This is the maximum amount of time your business should be out of commission after a cybercrime incident without causing serious damage to your employees, customers, clients, and other stakeholders.
• Assignment of roles and responsibilities for everyone involved in the cyber incident recovery effort.
• Inventory of all hardware and software so that you will be able to determine what assets remain available, what is lost, and what has been hijacked during the disaster.
• Complete response procedure that covers as many scenarios as you can plan for.
• A communication plan that ensures that all stakeholders remain in the loop. This involves sending emails and/or letters and deciding whether and with whom to share details about the incident.

5. Provide thorough, ongoing training to your staff.

The best software and planning are virtually useless if you do not create an environment of security awareness and accountability for all members of your team. Employees schooled in cyber safety can augment firewalls and antivirus software by being your eyes and ears, detecting suspicious emails, and alerting you to anomalies on your network. Additionally, you can minimize system risks by writing clear policies that let your employees know specifically what practices are unacceptable. You should also limit access to sensitive parts of your network to only those who need to have it.

6. Enhance payment security.

When you sell internationally, your carefully chosen online payment provider should partner with you to ensure that you provide optimal security and a streamlined payment experience for your global customers. You can accomplish this by doing the following.

• Use 3-D Secure authentication. This safeguard provides an extra layer of security for both domestic and overseas customers by requiring two-step authentication for all purchases. If the customer’s card issuer flags a transaction as suspicious, the customer will be redirected to a 3-D Secure page for verification. Once they furnish their PIN or password, the purchase will be allowed to go through.
• Require your customers to set strong passwords.
• Check to be sure that your online payment provider is in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a set of measures put in place to safeguard cardholder data.
• Get a secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate to your website that encrypts all communications between the customer’s browser and your payment service provider.

7. Comply with global payment guidelines.

When you market your products to international customers, you need to make an extra effort to abide by all of the laws and regulations that apply to your country and anywhere else where you conduct sales. Making it a priority to follow requirements such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) dictates how information is used and protected in the EU and helps merchants to protect themselves and their buyers from breaches.

As long as funds are exchanged online, there will be thieves who make it their business to get their hands on them and the data associated with your customers. Taking the time to set goals, assess assets, train employees, and implement robust security procedures will never be 100% effective in eliminating these types of crimes. However, taking these steps will maximize the effectiveness of your data safety initiatives and minimize the long-term effects of a data breach if it should occur.