Cybercrime remains a massive problem across e-commerce, with global losses reaching $9.5 trillion in 2024. Shopify merchants aren’t immune. In 2024, a hacker leaked customer data allegedly from Shopify through a compromised third-party app, exposing personal details from over 1,800 stores.

Shopify has invested heavily in security infrastructure, with the average data breach now costing $4.88 million globally and $10.22 million in the US. The platform offers Shopify Protect and advanced fraud detection tools that have defended billions in gross merchandise value. However, the biggest vulnerability remains human error and third-party integrations. Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report reveals that 68% of breaches involved a human element.

The ecosystem of third-party apps and plugins creates ongoing vulnerabilities that require constant vigilance from merchants.

Key Takeaways
1
Regular updates and cautious use of third-party apps are crucial for Shopify site security.
2
Immediate action, like changing passwords and contacting support, is key in the event of a hack.
3
Post-hack, restoring from a clean backup and verifying site ownership are critical recovery steps.

What is Human Error and Hacking?

Human error is when the actions of the person make the hacking possible. This does not include software issues that a developer has done. These sorts of activities include giving data away to criminals through phishing emails, or they could have stolen log in details from another site that is also used on Shopify.

These human errors can account for almost two-thirds of all the hacking cases available.

How to Spot a Shopify Website that has been Hacked

Several signs may show when your website has been hacked. Here are some of those signs:

  • Google may show that your website has been hacked.
  • New pages suddenly appear on your website.
  • You get an ‘Account Suspended’ message on your Shopify store.
  • The website is blacklisted by Google.
  • Your website becomes slow.
  • Google Ads are disapproved for software on your website.

How to Fix a Hacked Shopify Website

To fix this problem, there are several things that you can do. Here is a list of activities to help you.

  • See which user has made changes to your website through the yourstore.myshopify.com/admin/activity page.
  • Check the recent login history and the permissions to see if there are staff accounts that have been changed.
  • Check for strange activity by looking at accounts for location, date, ISP, IP address and the location of the login.
  • Reach out to the Shopify support team.
  • Re-create all the accounts, emails and re-assign new passwords.
  • Enable Two-factor Authorization on your account with SMS.
  • Do not use a password manager on your website.
  • Enable a Two-step authentication process on your website. This prevents those who have your website from still using it.
  • Remove email as a backup.
  • Use the Google Auth app.
  • Ensure there is a backup of your store and restores it when there is a hacking problem.
  • Change passwords across your accounts. Ensure that you don’t have the same password for two accounts.
  • Ensure you have a good Shopify security app on your Shopify website.