🛡️ Executive Summary: Key Points
- The Threat: Automated Magecart skimmer attacks steal card data during checkout without you noticing. Bots don't discriminate by revenue size.
- The Risk: 60% of WordPress hacks occur due to outdated plugins. Brute force attacks slow down your site before compromising the admin panel.
- The Impact: In LATAM, 60% of SMBs close within 6 months after an attack. In the U.S., CCPA fines reach $7,500 per violated record plus class action lawsuits.
- The Immediate Solution: Enable mandatory 2FA on all access points, audit and update plugins quarterly, and implement 24/7 file integrity monitoring.
Whether you sell $100 or $100,000 a month, it doesn't matter. Attacks are automated, scanning thousands of sites simultaneously for vulnerabilities. In fact, 43% of cyberattacks specifically target small and medium-sized businesses.
Your website could be under attack right now without you knowing it. If you've noticed slow loading times or strange behavior, you might already be losing Google rankings. (See how hacks destroy your SEO here).
The 10 Most Common (and Costly) Attacks
1. 💳 Credit Card Skimmers (Magecart)
Affects: WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Shopify (via malicious apps).
What it is: Malicious code injected into your checkout page that steals credit card data. Customers pay you, but their data is sent to the attackers.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: 24/7 File Integrity Monitoring and using Subresource Integrity (SRI).
2. 🔓 Admin Panel Brute Force
Affects: WordPress, PrestaShop, Joomla.
What it is: Bots trying thousands of username/password combinations to breach your admin panel. This often slows down the server significantly before they even get in.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: Mandatory Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and limiting login attempts.
3. 🎣 Admin Phishing
Affects: All website owners.
What it is: Fake emails pretending to be your hosting provider or payment gateway asking you to "verify" your account. It's the easiest human entry point.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: Never click on links in "security alert" emails. Navigate manually to your dashboard.
4. 🐛 Plugin/Module Vulnerabilities
Affects: WordPress (60% of hacks happen this way) and PrestaShop.
What it is: Outdated software acting as a backdoor. A famous example was the WP File Manager exploit.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: Quarterly audits. Unsure which plugins are safe? Check our security audit services.
5. 💉 SQL Injections (SQLi)
Affects: Especially PrestaShop and WooCommerce with custom plugins.
What it is: Exploiting forms to extract your entire database of customers and orders.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: Use a WAF (Web Application Firewall) and strict form validation.
6. 🔀 Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Affects: Any CMS with comments or search bars.
What it is: Injecting malicious scripts that redirect your users to scam sites or steal their session cookies.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and input sanitization.
7. 📦 Supply Chain Attacks (Dependencies)
Affects: Very common in Shopify (apps) and WordPress.
What it is: A legitimate app you use is bought by hackers or compromised to inject code via an update.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: Read the changelog before updating and monitor app ownership changes.
8. 🔄 XML-RPC & REST API Abuse
Affects: Mainly WordPress.
What it is: Using old WP features to launch DDoS attacks or amplified brute force attacks.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: Disable XML-RPC if you don't use legacy mobile apps.
9. 🗂️ Local/Remote File Inclusion (LFI/RFI)
Affects: Sites allowing file uploads.
What it is: Tricking the server into executing malicious files that have been uploaded or hosted externally.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: Disable PHP execution in uploads folders.
10. 🚪 Persistent Backdoors
Affects: Any previously compromised site.
What it is: Hidden code that allows the hacker to re-enter days after you've "cleaned" the site.
🛡️ How to protect yourself: Deep code scanning and comparison with clean core files.
🎯 Risk Matrix by Platform
| Attack | WordPress | PrestaShop | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skimmers | ⚠️ Medium | 🔴 High | 🟡 Low* | 🔴 High |
| Brute Force | 🔴 High | 🔴 High | 🟢 Very Low | 🔴 High |
| Vulnerable Plugins | 🔴 Very High | 🔴 High | 🟡 Medium* | 🔴 High |
| Backdoors | 🔴 High | 🔴 High | 🟢 Low | 🔴 High |
*Note: Although Shopify manages the infrastructure, third-party apps remain its Achilles' heel.
⚠️ The REAL Cost: It's Not Just IT, It's Your Assets
🇺🇸 In the United States (The Litigation Risk)
In the US, the main issue following a hack is the legal fallout:
- Class Action Lawsuits: If you leak data, you face mass lawsuits from affected customers.
- Regulations (CCPA/CPRA): In California, fines can reach up to $7,500 per violated record.
- PCI-DSS: Direct fines from Visa/Mastercard ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 monthly until resolved.
🌎 In Latin America (The Bankruptcy Risk)
In Latin America, the market is unforgiving. 60% of SMBs in the region close down within 6 months of a cyberattack.
- Brazil (LGPD): Fines of up to 2% of annual revenue.
- Irreparable Reputation: In markets like Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, or Colombia, trust takes years to build and seconds to lose. If cards are cloned at your store, customers simply won't return.
Real-world Economic Impact Example:
An online store generating $30k USD/month suffered a Skimmer attack and took 3 weeks to detect it:
- 📉 Lost Sales: $22,500 USD (Downtime & Panic)
- ⚖️ Legal & Fines: ~$50,000 USD
- 🛠️ Forensic Cleanup: $5,000 USD
- TOTAL COST: ~$77,500 USD
Investment in professional prevention: Starting at $200 USD/month.
🚀 Your 30-Day Protection Plan
- Week 1 (Diagnosis): Plugin audit, check PHP versions, and remove unnecessary admin users.
- Week 2 (Fortification): Enable 2FA on all access points, change passwords, and configure external backups.
- Week 3 (Active Protection): Install a WAF (Cloudflare/Sucuri) and disable XML-RPC.
- Week 4 (Monitoring): Enable file change alerts and incident response protocols.
🎯 Do you need professional help?
At YourSecureScan, we don't just "clean" websites. We bulletproof your business so you can keep selling and ensure Google doesn't penalize you.
Our Security Audit includes:
- ✅ Vulnerability analysis and hidden malware detection.
- ✅ SEO Impact Assessment (Has Google penalized you?).
- ✅ Prioritized technical action plan.
Or read more about how we help recover penalized sites
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I'm already hacked?
73% of hacked websites don't know it. Clear signs include: sudden traffic drops, recently modified files, or strange URLs indexed in Google.
Doesn't my hosting protect me?
Hosting protects their server (the infrastructure), not your website's code. If you use a vulnerable plugin or a weak password, it is your responsibility.
Is Shopify safe because it's SaaS?
The core platform is secure, but 90% of breaches come from malicious third-party apps. You must audit apps just like WordPress plugins.
