In recent years, cyberattacks have hit major retailers, including The North Face, Timberland, and JD Sports — even Staples, for goodness sake. Huge brands like Walmart spend around $2,000 per full-time employee on cybersecurity annually. Your e-commerce store doesn’t have anywhere close to that budget, which means you rely on Shopify’s security to keep customer data safe. As a business owner, it’s smart to ask how safe Shopify is.
Is Shopify Safe?
Looking at user comments is a great way to tell how safe Shopify is. After all, if stores were getting hacked left and right, you would expect a lot of complaints on Reddit or YouTube.
But that’s not the case. Instead, the general consensus is that Shopify is a secure platform that is easy to use.
The numbers also back up Shopify’s good reputation. Nearly 4.5 million live websites call Shopify home, from popular clothing stores to niche brands.
In fact, 10% of all global e-commerce sales involve a Shopify merchant like you!
Is Shopify Secure?
The next question is how strong Shopify’s cybersecurity is. You want your store info and customer credit card data to be safe.
Top-Level Payment Card Security
Shopify adheres to the highest level of Payment Card Industry Digital Security Standards. To meet PCI DSS Level 1 requirements, here’s what Shopify has to do:
- Hire an independent security vendor to scan its network every three months, checking for problems or vulnerabilities
- Pass a strict cybersecurity audit once a year
- Encrypt sensitive data, such as credit card numbers
- Prevent unauthorized people — even employees — from viewing protected info
- Monitor network traffic continuously
- Test network security regularly
Shopify’s data encryption uses 128-bit SSL technology, the same level of encryption that banks use. How secure is that? According to today’s security experts, even if hackers tried to break through with the help of AI, it would take them billions of years to guess the right combination.
Ongoing Security: SOC 2 Type 2
Another reason you can trust that Shopify’s platform is safe is that it follows SOC 2 Type 2 validation requirements. In simple terms, this means that Shopify has to prove it follows the best cybersecurity practices every day of the year, not just when there’s an audit.
What Are the Best Cybersecurity Practices for a Shopify Store?
Shopify gives you a safe and secure foundation, but building a safe e-commerce store also requires you to follow healthy cybersecurity practices.
First, watch out for suspicious emails. Scammers pretend to be from Shopify and then steal your passwords when you “log in” to their fake sites. Real Shopify emails don’t ask for passwords. To be safe, never click on email links.
Use multi-factor authentication for an extra layer of security, such as:
- 2FAS
- Microsoft Authenticator
- Google Authenticator
These secure apps are free and easy to use.
Don’t share your login info with other people, especially employees or vendors. You can add workers to your store and have them create their own accounts (without administration permissions).
Choose Secure Shopify Store Apps
Good cybersecurity also means doing your homework before installing third-party apps. Shopify apps make your store more powerful, but you should only choose apps with a high star rating and lots of votes. Check out our curated list of some of the safest Shopify store apps to get started.