7 Easy, crucial tips to prevent hacking on your Etsy or Amazon shop

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As you know, people get trademark-hungry and can come after you for the silliest things. This software is built to help make sure you’re safe, your store isn’t at risk, and you can keep bringing in sales for a long time.

It scans your Etsy listings for you and helps ensure you’re not accidentally using any trademarks in your listings.

While the tool is normally a monthly fee that people happily pay (prevention now is way cheaper than hiring a lawyer later), you can get in for a crazy-low investment for 72 hours only by heading here:

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Etsy and Amazon are both huge online marketplaces that offer a wealth of opportunities for sellers. However, they also come with a certain amount of risk. One of the biggest dangers is hacking.

Unfortunately, hacking is something you have to be aware of if you sell on either of these platforms. The consequences can be devastating, ranging from compromised account information to loss of sales.

However, there are a number of ways to protect yourself from an Amazon or Etsy security breach. And that’s what I want to talk to you more about. When it comes to hacking, your best course of action is prevention.

Below, you’ll find seven quick and easy tips that can help you prevent your Etsy and Amazon accounts from being hacked. Let’s take a look…

Use a strong password and change it often

One of the best ways to protect your shop from hackers is to use strong passwords. Hackers can easily guess weak passwords, so it’s important to use a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters in your password. A good rule of thumb is to use a different password for each account you have.

To create a strong password, here are some guidelines:

  • make your password at least eight characters long
  • include a mix of both upper and lower case letters
  • add numbers and special symbols like #, *, and $
  • avoid easily guessed words like your name or birthday

You also should never share your passwords with anyone else. If you’re having trouble creating strong passwords on your own, you can use a free tool like PasswordsGenerator.net.

Learn how to prevent an Amazon and Etsy security breach

Connect to a secure Wi-Fi network

When you’re accessing your Etsy or Amazon shop, make sure you’re doing so on a secure Wi-Fi network. Public Wi-Fi networks are often unsecure, which means hackers can easily access your data. So if you like working outside your home at coffee shops, for example, be especially mindful of the networks you connect to.

If the network has a padlock icon next to it and requires a password to log in, that usually means it’s a secure network. If, however, you can use the network without logging in, you should proceed with caution. Avoid visiting websites that require passwords or other sensitive information from you, as you never know when hackers may be trying to steal your info.

Use 2FA: Phone call, SMS, or authenticator apps to protect your passwords

If your Etsy or Amazon shop offers two-factor authentication (2FA), enable it. This means that even if someone were to guess your password, they wouldn’t be able to log in to your account unless they also had access to your phone.

If you enable 2FA, you’ll be prompted to enter a code every time you try to log in to your account. The code is typically sent via text message or generated by an authenticator app.

If you have the option, I recommend using an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy, as they’re more secure than SMS texts. Authenticator apps are the most secure form of account protection, according to experts. These apps require users to confirm their identities with a code before they can log in. However, any 2FA is better than no 2FA. So if you can only enable SMS 2FA, do so.

Authenticator apps aren’t without drawbacks, though. If you work with virtual assistants, you’ll need to keep in mind that they will need the code every time they log into your accounts. In this case, it might be easier to use SMS codes rather than authenticator apps, as the apps are often less forgiving and require users to input codes in a faster timeframe.

Protect your personal information online

And speaking of virtual assistants, if you do work with VAs, you need to have some kind of system that enables them to get their work done but, at the same time, keeps your shop protected.

VAs are super helpful. Not only can VAs track your sales and handle customer service, but they also can help you create and manage your inventory. But they will need access to your passwords to do a lot of this work.
So, number one, you need to make sure you work with people who are trustworthy. And second, you need to take measures to protect your passwords, because you don’t necessarily want a bunch of different IP addresses logging in and out of your accounts or having hacks on your VAs’ devices compromise your accounts.
To protect your shop, I recommend setting up a password protection system through LastPass and then giving your VAs access to your accounts through that.
Or, as a way to minimize the amount of logging in and out of your Etsy account, you can use GetVela.com, which integrates with Etsy and makes updating your listings very easy. You can invite your VAs to join GetVela and they can update your Etsy shop without ever even needing to log in. You could even take it a step further and give them LastPass access to GetVela.com.

Regularly back up your Etsy shop’s data in Shop Options

In Etsy’s Shop Options, you have the ability to back up your shop data on a regular basis. I recommend backing up your data at least once a week, if not more often. That way, if you ever do get hacked, you’ll have a recent backup of your data to restore from.

To back up your shop data:

  • Go to Your Etsy Shop Manager
  • Under Settings, click Options in the left-hand menu
  • Select the Download Data tab

From there, you’ll be able to download CSV files for your…

  • currently for sale listings
  • orders
  • shop settings
  • and reviews

Learn how to prevent an Amazon and Etsy security breach

Learn how to prevent an Amazon and Etsy security breach

The information contained in these CSVs can be really valuable, especially if something should happen to your Etsy shop. Regularly having backups ensures that you don’t lose critical information. So make a habit of backing up your data regularly. Set a day to do it each week – for example, the last thing you do before signing off each Friday. Maintaining this habit could save you a lot of headaches in the future.

Always check your “sign in” history

Etsy tracks every time someone logs in to your account. So if you ever get a notification about a log-in from a strange location, you should be suspicious that someone may be trying to hack into your account.

If this happens, change your password right away and enable 2FA if you haven’t already. You should also notify Etsy if you believe your account has been compromised. Etsy should be able to help you lock down your account and prevent hackers from accessing your shop.

Keep software up to date

One of the best ways to prevent hacking is to keep all your software up to date. This includes your operating system, as well as any and all applications you have installed on your computer or phone.

When a new update is available, install it right away. These updates often contain security patches that close up vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.

I hope you find these tips for preventing an Amazon and Etsy security breach helpful. If you have any other advice to share, please leave a comment below. Also, if you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and followers.

Final reminder: We’re running a quick 72 hour flash sale on our Trademark Inspector tool.

As you know, people get trademark-hungry and can come after you for the silliest things. This software is built to help make sure you’re safe, your store isn’t at risk, and you can keep bringing in sales for a long time.

It scans your Etsy listings for you and helps ensure you’re not accidentally using any trademarks in your listings.

While the tool is normally a monthly fee that people happily pay (prevention now is way cheaper than hiring a lawyer later), you can get in for a crazy-low investment for 72 hours only by heading here:

https://rachelrofe.com/72hourstrademarksale

Tips to prevent your Amazon and Etsy shops from being hacked

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BONUS! Find this helpful? To download this post as a PDF, click here!

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