1The challenge
Recent years brought a series of critical Magento vulnerabilities, such as CosmicSting and SessionReaper. For a merchant, the risks are concrete:
- Attackers can take over the webshop or customer accounts.
- Malware hidden in third-party extensions can run code on the server.
- Fraudulent ’hack orders’ are used to attack the backend.
- Bots and abusive crawlers load the server and skew analytics.
What happens after a disclosure
When Adobe or a security researcher publishes a critical vulnerability, the clock starts. Automated scans follow quickly, and every unpatched webshop is a target. What matters is how fast a fix, or a temporary mitigation, is live on every webshop.
2Our approach
We treat security as part of maintenance, not as a separate project: monitor, patch fast and harden what attackers try first.
Emergency patching
Out-of-band patches for critical vulnerabilities, such as SessionReaper and CosmicSting, rolled out across client webshops.
Mitigation without a patch
When no official patch exists yet, as with PolyShell, we work with the hosting partner on mitigation until a fix is available.
Hack order protection
A custom module that blocks fraudulent ’hack orders’ used to attack the Magento backend.
Hardening and bot control
Two-factor authentication, admin session limits, reCAPTCHA on forms, HSTS, and Cloudflare to filter bots and abusive crawlers.
3The result
When a critical vulnerability is announced, our clients don’t have to read the advisory themselves. Patches and mitigations go live across the portfolio, and after disclosures of malware hidden in third-party extensions, we check the affected webshops for compromised files.
The day-to-day work, from admin hardening to bot control, makes each webshop a harder target before the next disclosure arrives.
Also on our maintenance list: the EU right of withdrawal button, now live on several client webshops.
?Frequently asked questions about Magento security
How quickly should a security patch be installed?
For critical vulnerabilities, as soon as possible. Automated attacks often start soon after a public disclosure.
What if there’s no official patch yet?
There is often a temporary mitigation, for example blocking a vulnerable path at server level. We apply those together with the hosting partner until the official fix is out.
What are hack orders?
Orders placed by scripts as the first step of an attack, aiming to gain access rights and upload files to the server. We block them with a custom module.
Does Cloudflare make Magento secure?
It helps, by filtering bots and attacks before they reach the server. It doesn’t replace patching, which is why we do both.
