E-Commerce Security

Security for E-Commerce Platforms

Credit card skimming, account takeover and inventory manipulation threaten every online store.

Sherlock Forensics provides security audits and penetration testing for e-commerce platforms covering payment security, Magecart-style attack prevention, customer data protection, account takeover testing and SEO spam injection detection. Quick audits for small online stores start at $1,500 CAD. Standard penetration tests for larger platforms start at $5,000 CAD.

E-commerce platforms are prime targets because they process payments and store customer data. Attackers inject card-skimming JavaScript into checkout pages, take over customer accounts to place fraudulent orders, manipulate pricing and inventory logic and inject SEO spam to hijack your search rankings. Whether you run a Shopify store, a WooCommerce site or a custom platform, your customers trust you with their payment data. We help you earn that trust.

Order a Quick Audit - $1,500 Scope a Full Pentest

Threat Landscape

How E-Commerce Platforms Get Attacked

01 - Skimming

Credit Card Skimming

Magecart-style attacks inject malicious JavaScript into your checkout pages to capture credit card numbers, expiry dates and CVVs as customers type them. The stolen data is exfiltrated to attacker-controlled servers in real time. These skimmers can persist for months before detection, silently harvesting payment data from every transaction. We test for script injection vectors, audit third-party scripts loaded on checkout pages and verify content security policy implementation.

02 - Takeover

Account Takeover

Attackers use credential stuffing, phishing and session hijacking to access customer accounts. Once inside, they place fraudulent orders using saved payment methods, change shipping addresses and redeem loyalty points. Account takeover generates chargebacks, erodes customer trust and creates regulatory exposure. We test your authentication stack, session management, password reset flows and account recovery procedures.

03 - Logic

Inventory and Price Manipulation

Business logic vulnerabilities allow attackers to manipulate product prices, apply invalid discount codes, bypass quantity limits, exploit race conditions in flash sales and place orders at incorrect prices. These attacks target application logic that automated scanners cannot detect. We manually test your checkout flow, pricing engine, promotion system and inventory management for logic flaws.

04 - SEO

SEO Spam Injection

Attackers compromise e-commerce sites to inject hidden links, pharmaceutical spam and redirect chains that hijack your search engine rankings. Your customers get redirected to malicious sites while your domain reputation deteriorates. SEO spam injection often exploits vulnerable plugins, outdated CMS installations or weak admin credentials. We scan for injected content and identify the entry points attackers used.

Our Approach

How We Secure Online Stores

Payment Integration Review

We audit your payment integration from the checkout form through the payment processor and back. This includes testing for client-side card handling, webhook validation, refund logic abuse, payment confirmation bypass and PCI DSS alignment. Whether you use Stripe, PayPal, Square or a direct gateway integration, we know the attack patterns.

Platform Security Assessment

We assess your e-commerce platform including the CMS, plugins, themes, admin panel, file upload functionality and server configuration. Outdated plugins are the most common entry point for e-commerce compromises. We identify vulnerable components and provide upgrade or replacement recommendations.

Customer Data Protection

We evaluate how your store handles customer personal information including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and purchase histories. We test access controls, encryption practices, data retention policies and API responses to ensure customer data is not exposed through application vulnerabilities or misconfigured endpoints.

Third-Party Script Audit

Modern e-commerce sites load dozens of third-party scripts for analytics, advertising, chat widgets and social media integration. Each script is a potential Magecart injection point. We audit your third-party script inventory, verify subresource integrity implementation and assess your content security policy to reduce your exposure to supply chain attacks.

From the Field

E-Commerce Assessment in Practice

A BC-based retailer with an annual online revenue exceeding $2 million engaged us after noticing unusual chargeback patterns. Our assessment discovered a modified JavaScript file on their checkout page that was silently exfiltrating credit card data to an external server. The skimmer had been active for approximately six weeks and had captured an estimated 3,400 card numbers. We identified the entry point as a compromised admin credential, removed the malicious code, hardened the admin panel with MFA and implemented content security policies to prevent future injection. We also assisted with their mandatory breach notification under PIPEDA.

Pricing

E-Commerce Security Engagements

Quick Audit - $1,500 CAD
Focused security review for small online stores. Covers payment integration, admin panel security, plugin vulnerabilities, customer data exposure and common e-commerce attack vectors. Ideal for Shopify, WooCommerce and small custom stores. Delivered in 3-5 business days. Order online.
Standard Penetration Test - $5,000 CAD
Full penetration test for larger e-commerce platforms. Covers all attack surfaces including payment flows, APIs, admin panels, third-party script auditing, business logic testing and customer data protection assessment. For platforms with custom development or high transaction volumes. Order online.
Comprehensive Assessment - $12,000 CAD
Full-scope assessment for enterprise e-commerce operations including infrastructure testing, source code review, third-party integration audit, PCI DSS compliance support and ongoing monitoring recommendations. Contact us to scope.

Frequently Asked Questions

E-Commerce Security FAQs

Is my online store secure?
Without a professional security assessment, there is no reliable way to answer that question. Most e-commerce sites we audit have at least one critical vulnerability. Common findings include exposed admin panels, outdated plugins with known exploits, weak payment integrations and customer data accessible through API endpoints. A quick audit from Sherlock Forensics identifies the most exploitable issues in your store.
What is a Magecart attack?
Magecart refers to a class of attacks where malicious JavaScript is injected into e-commerce checkout pages to skim payment card data in real time. The name comes from early attacks targeting Magento stores, but the technique applies to any e-commerce platform. Skimmers capture card numbers, expiry dates and CVVs as customers enter them and exfiltrate the data to attacker-controlled servers. These attacks can persist undetected for months.
How do I protect customer payment data?
Use a PCI-compliant payment processor with hosted payment fields so card data never touches your server. Implement content security policies to restrict which scripts can execute on your checkout pages. Keep your platform, plugins and themes updated. Enable MFA on all admin accounts. Monitor for unauthorized file changes. Conduct regular security assessments to catch vulnerabilities before attackers do.

Resources

Related Reading

Security Standards

Related Services

Get Started

Protect your customers and your revenue.

Quick audits from $1,500 CAD for small stores. Standard pentests from $5,000 CAD for larger platforms.

Order Online

Secure Your Online Store

Tell us about your e-commerce platform, your transaction volume and your biggest concerns. We will recommend the right level of assessment for your business.

Call 604.229.1994
Phone
604.229.1994
Burnaby Office
Burnaby, BC, Canada
Coquitlam Office
Coquitlam, BC, Canada