Cyber Security Challenges for Retail and E-commerce
Retailers depend on e-commerce websites, mobile applications, payment services, APIs and third-party platforms to deliver fast and convenient customer experiences.
These connected systems support sales and growth, but they also create a broad attack surface. A weakness in authentication, checkout logic, access controls, or integration security could expose customer information, enable fraud, or disrupt online trading.
Effective cyber security in e-commerce, therefore, requires more than automated scanning. Independent penetration testing examines how systems respond to realistic attack techniques and whether the controls protecting customers, transactions and business operations work as intended.
Customer Accounts and Payment Data
Retail platforms process customer identities, addresses, order histories, loyalty balances and payment-related information. Our testing assesses whether customer accounts and sensitive data are protected against unauthorised access.
Checkout and Business-Logic Abuse
Some of the most damaging ecommerce vulnerabilities are found in application workflows rather than outdated software. Attackers may attempt to manipulate prices, discounts, gift cards, refunds, delivery options or payment states. Our consultants test whether business processes can be altered or bypassed in ways that lead to fraud or financial loss.
Rapid Releases and Seasonal Trading
Retailers frequently release new functionality, integrations and promotional features, often around high-demand trading periods. A change to checkout, authentication, or customer account functionality can introduce vulnerabilities that automated testing does not detect. Independent assessment helps identify exploitable issues before they affect live customers or peak sales.
Benefits of E-commerce Penetration Testing
E-commerce penetration testing provides evidence of how your platform responds to realistic attacks.
Rather than relying solely on automated findings, our consultants investigate whether vulnerabilities can be exploited, how different weaknesses could be combined and what impact an attacker could achieve.
Protect Customer and Payment Data
Assess whether personal, account or payment-related information could be accessed, altered or extracted without authorisation.
Reduce Fraud and Account Takeover
Identify weaknesses in the login, password reset, checkout, refund, and loyalty workflows that could be exploited by attackers or unauthorised users.
Maintain Availability and Online Sales
Identify vulnerabilities that could contribute to service interruption, ransomware or compromise of essential ecommerce functionality.
Support PCI DSS and Customer Assurance
Provide independent technical evidence that relevant applications and infrastructure have been professionally tested.
Penetration Testing Services for E-commerce and Retail Platforms
Web Application Penetration Testing
Assess e-commerce websites, customer portals, administrative interfaces and checkout functionality.
Network Penetration Testing
Assess internet-facing systems, firewalls, VPNs, remote-access gateways and other exposed services.
API Penetration Testing
Assess APIs connecting web applications, mobile apps, payment providers, stock systems, fulfilment services and customer platforms.
Mobile Application Penetration Testing
Assess iOS and Android retail applications used for shopping, loyalty schemes, account management and payments.
Cloud Penetration Testing
Assess AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud environments supporting e-commerce applications and retail operations.
Phishing and Social Engineering Testing
Assess how employees respond to controlled phishing and other authorised social-engineering scenarios.
Supporting Retail Security and Assurance
Retail and ecommerce businesses may need to demonstrate that appropriate technical controls are in place for payment providers, customers, auditors, insurers and business partners.
Sencode provides independent testing and reporting that can support these assurance activities and help organisations demonstrate that relevant systems have been assessed.
PCI DSS
PCI DSS defines baseline technical and operational requirements for organisations that store, process, or transmit payment account data, or whose systems could affect payment account security.
UK GDPR and Data Protection
Retailers process personal information, including customer identities, addresses, purchase histories and account records. UK data protection law requires organisations to protect personal data using appropriate technical and organisational measures. Penetration testing can help identify weaknesses that could lead to unauthorised access, disclosure or alteration.
ISO 27001
Penetration testing can provide supporting evidence for vulnerability management, risk treatment and the assessment of technical controls within an ISO 27001-aligned information security management system.
Customer and Supplier Assurance
Retailers may be asked by enterprise customers, marketplaces, payment providers and commercial partners to provide penetration testing reports, remediation evidence and security information.
Our E-commerce Penetration Testing Process
Contact a consulting team member by phone, email, or post. We will then discuss whether we can help you and arrange a scoping meeting to discuss your requirements.
In the scoping meeting, our team will discuss your requirements in further detail. Our team will ask questions regarding the following:
- Assets
- Asset Locations
- Test Perspective
- Objectives
- Scoping
- Date & Time
- Technologies
- Frameworks
Our expert consultants will discuss and finalise which digital assets you need testing in the scoping meeting. Based on the requirements, we will then assemble a project proposal and quote and agree on a schedule for conducting the security assessment.
Our proposal document will include the following information:
- Client Information
- Test Perspective
- Test Constraints
- Test Framework
- Scope Information
- Determined Scope
- Deliverables
- Quote & Authorisation (Signature)
The Penetration Testing starts. A member of our Penetration Testing team will liaise with a member of your company throughout the entire testing process. You will be the first to know if we have any questions or concerns. Our testing team will be on hand throughout the penetration test lifecycle to answer any questions or concerns.
Our tester will:
- Keep you updated
- Provide end of day summaries
- Liaise with the point of contact
- Test using a strict methodology
- Document evidence
- Maintain confidentiality
- Provide real-time alerts
- Deliver detailed reports
A Penetration Test is useless without a well-written report. Our reports are written in plain English, concise, and thoroughly documented. The Penetration Test Report is typically furnished within 5 days after the testing phase is complete. If you are interested in seeing an example report, please contact our team.
Each report details the following:
- Context & Objectives
- Mailing List
- Period and Confidentiality
- Perimeter & Scope
- Environment Overview
- Executive Summary
- Findings Summary & Table
- Technical Details
At Sencode, we offer free retesting for every Penetration Test we conduct. You fix the issues; then we will verify they can no longer be exploited by an attacker. Our team will arrange a mutually suitable time to conduct the retest, after the remediation efforts have taken place.
Our tester will follow these steps:
- Arrange Access
- Ask what issues have been resolved
- Retest the issues in the report
- Provide end of day summaries
- Update the document
- Deliver the document
- Offer a retest debriefing
- Debrief with your team
Deliver a Security Testing Certificate
Our clients receive a testing certificate that can be shared with partners and customers, showing that their company takes security seriously. The certificate and document are designed to be easily digested by third-party suppliers; the document removes the technical details and can be safely distributed.
The Security Testing Certificate is available on request after the retest has been completed. The security certificate shows:
- Date of the assessment
- Company name
- Client name
- Outstanding issues
- Resolved Issues
- Updated risk profile
- Environment Overview
- Executive Summary
What does choosing a CREST provider mean?
CREST accreditation is an independent, rigorous assessment of technical competence, process and data security. Choosing a CREST-accredited provider means your testing is delivered to a standard you can trust – and evidence you can stand behind.
Certified Penetration Testing Consultants
Our consultants are highly trained and individually certified.
Proven Pen Test Methodologies
Our pen testing follows recognised best practices: PTES, OWASP, and NIST.
Compliant reporting
Our reports provide executive context, technical evidence, risk-rated findings and practical remediation guidance.
ISO aligned
Our information security and quality policies align with ISO 27001 and ISO 9001.
Grey, Black and White Box Penetration Testing
At Sencode, we test from every perspective. Not sure which fits your needs? Speak to a member of our team; our experts are on hand to advise.
Client Testimonials
Don’t just trust our word for it; hear what our clients have to say about working with our team.
“The team at Sencode are flexible and easy to work with while also being extremely diligent and professional in what they do. As a result, we regard Sencode as a critical partner in ensuring our software is properly tested.”
Chief Technical Officer
Huler
“We held a briefing meeting with Callum to demo the system, answer relevant questions, and provide access for testing. Once the testing was completed, the report was efficient and comprehensive.”
Project Manager
Trinity College Dublin
“The team was super friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to chat with us. They did really great work, and I’m very happy that we got to work with them.”
IT Director
Diversity and Ability
“All conversations with Sencode have been very easy, and it’s clear that the team know their stuff. From the initial chat to the retesting process, we’ve been kept informed and supported throughout.”
Digital Lead
Verve Group
“Sencode have conducted our penetration testing for the last two years. Each time, they were professional, polite and kept us informed throughout the process. The reports were received in a timely manner and were concisely written. All this and at a competitive rate.”
Technical Engineer
Pip Studios
“Working with Sencode has been brilliant. You can tell they genuinely love what they do – it shows in how thoroughly they test everything and dig into the details. Even a non-tech person could understand what they found and what needed fixing.”
Cyber Security Specialist
Home Group
Frequently Asked Questions: Retail and E-Commerce
Retail platforms process large volumes of customer, account and transaction information while remaining continuously accessible over the internet. A successful attack could lead to account takeover, payment fraud, data exposure or loss of online sales. Penetration testing helps identify exploitable weaknesses before they affect customers or business operations.
Penetration testing simulates realistic attack techniques against your website, applications, APIs and supporting infrastructure. Our consultants determine whether vulnerabilities can be exploited, what access could be achieved and how weaknesses could be combined. This gives your team clearer remediation priorities than automated scanning alone.
Testing is planned to minimise operational impact. Before work begins, we agree on the systems in scope, permitted techniques, exclusions, testing times and escalation procedures. Potentially disruptive activity is avoided unless explicitly approved.
We can assess custom functionality, themes, plugins, APIs, integrations and supporting infrastructure where the organisation has authority to test them. Testing against the underlying hosted platform may be restricted by the provider’s penetration-testing policy. We confirm the permitted scope and any third-party requirements before testing begins.
Yes, where you own the system or have permission from the relevant third party.
Yes, where penetration testing is applicable to your PCI DSS scope.
Yes. Where suitable test accounts are provided, we can assess account registration, authentication, password reset, sessions, loyalty balances, vouchers and role permissions.
Annual testing is a common assurance baseline, but faster-moving or higher-risk platforms may require more frequent assessment.
Contact us
Get a free, no obligation quote from one of our expert staff.