An e-commerce platform is susceptible to cyber-crime as it is a business site. The USA has had 73% cases of cyber-crimes in 2016 alone (Hewes, 2016). Every country has a team that is always working to reduce or deals with cases of hacking of internet data. The hackers mostly target the government and business websites.

The main threat for e-commerce lies in the hands on hackers. The hacker cracks into the site and obtains the login details. They may use the features to tarnish the name and image of the company either to reduce competition or just to bring the company down for personal reasons. The hacker may further obtain the confidential data of the marketing information that are crucial to a firm (Crawford, 2013). Also, he/she may get customers information like name, contact and residential place. He/she may use this information to steal money from clients in the name of the firm or tarnish the company’s image. Also, the hacker may obtain the financial account number and transfer funds to a different account. He/she may also destroy the economic data that are on the platform to make it hard for the company to know the expert amount they lost. The company can only trace if they had backup data either as softcopy or hardcopy.

Others go to at extending of waiting for the client to order goods and then deliver items of low quality and receive payment. They convince the customer that the company has changed the payment point and thus direct them to pay into their accounts (Hewes, 2016). The hacker may further change the name of the platform, and their logo and then redirected clients to their communication platforms like twitter, facebook, and other social medias. In such a case, the company has to close down the platform to deal with the issue as the hacker(s) had stolen all the customers’ information in the database. In the end, the company will have suffered indirect loss because of the transaction lost and brand awareness that stopped after the website was closed down.

The best way to deal with cyber-crime is to invest in computer and internet security. First, a firm should ensure that they are using a secure platform that uses a sophisticated programming language that is hard for a hacker to crack (Hewes, 2016). Also, a company should avoid keeping sensitive data on their website. For example, they may tell the clients to fill in their personal information through online forms sent to an email instead of a website. Financial data may also be eliminated from an e-commerce platform. The company should set up a system alert that notifies them in the case of any suspicious activity (Crawford, 2013). They will, therefore, be able to deal with the crime before it is too late. Every employee should get training on cyber security. A business should choose a strong password as it is not easy to crack. Also, ensure you are using a secure connection when checking out the online platform

Cyber-crimes are increasing each day. Hackers are now targeting business platforms which they are using to get confidential data either about the firm or the clients. The act is leading to losses as companies have to invest in cyber security and use a lot of money to remove the mess when hacked. The Company can, however, ensure that they are using a secure platform which is not assessable to hacking. They should also ensure that all employees have training on cyber security. Also, the system should have an alert system that informs the user in case of any suspicious activities. However, the cost involved to secure business online data may be impossible for small companies.