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8 Best Banks for ECommerce Businesses in 2024

Published

4 days ago

October 21, 2024

Max

8 Best Banks for ECommerce Businesses in 2024

For eCommerce businesses to thrive, they need financial providers that offer cost-effective business checking accounts that integrate with popular eCommerce platforms. Business services that provide seamless payment for customers and vendors are also vital. Our list includes fintech companies offering innovative account features and traditional banks providing full-service banking products to support the growth of your online business.

We review the 10 best banks for eCommerce businesses.

Best overall bank: Bluevine

Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Coastal Community Bank.
Best for integrated payment solution and digital invoicing: Chase

Member FDIC
Best for fee-free wire transfers and discounted software: Mercury

Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust.
Best for cash flow management tools: U.S. Bank

Member FDIC
Best for speedy fund access and eCommerce app integrations: Novo

Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Middlesex Federal Savings.
Best for large teams needing more accounts and debit cards: Relay

Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Thread Bank.
Best for budgeting and multiple software integrations: North One

Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with The Bancorp Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.
Best for multi-currency accounts and integrated payment gateway: Revolut

Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Community Federal Savings Bank (CFSB) and Sutton Bank.

Best banks for eCommerce businesses quick comparison

Below, we summed up the top features we considered for the 8 financial providers. Here is our list of the best banks for eCommerce businesses.

Bluevine: Best overall bank for eCommerce businesses

Our rating: 4.50 out of 5

Image: Bluevine

Bluevine is an excellent fintech offering high-interest business checking accounts with unlimited transactions and a line of credit financing with easy qualification requirements. New eCommerce business owners can open the basic tier, Bluevine Standard, and earn a 2.0% APY up to $250,000 for qualifying balances. Once your eCommerce enterprise takes off, you can easily switch to Bluevine’s higher tier products, Bluevine Plus or Bluevine Premier, to take advantage of higher yields (3.0% to 4.25%) and discounted wire transfer rates and same-day ACH fees.

Why we chose it

We ranked Bluevine as the overall best bank for eCommerce businesses since it integrates with one of the most popular eCommerce platforms, Square, which allows easy online payments. Bluevine is also compatible with other top accounting and payment software, QuickBooks, Wave, Wise, Venmo, and Cash App, among others. Company owners with an international clientele can also send payments to 32 countries in 15 currencies, and these payments can be available within 24 hours.

Note that cash deposits are accepted by Bluevine but have corresponding fees

Green Dot charges up to $4.95 per transaction while Allpoint+ ATMs collect $1 plus 0.5% of the deposit amount.

.

Monthly fees

Bluevine Standard: $0
Bluevine Plus: $30; waivable by having:
- An ADB of $20,000 across your Bluevine checking account, including subaccounts.
- A spend of $2,000 monthly using your Bluevine debit card or credit card.
Bluevine Premier: $95; waivable by meeting:
- An ADB of $100,000 across your Bluevine checking account, including subaccounts.
- A spend of $5,000 monthly using your Bluevine debit card or credit card.

Features

Square integration, including Wise, Venmo, and CashApp.
Compatible with Quickbooks, Xero, and Wave.
International payments to 32 countries in 15 currencies.
Free incoming wire transfers and standard ACH fees.
Lines of credit of up to $250,000 at low rates.
Business credit card with unlimited cashback and a $0 annual fee.
Five subaccounts with unique account numbers.
Priority customer support for Bluevine Premier clients.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Three business checking options with high interest rates (2.0% to 4.25%).	Cash deposit fees at Allpoint+ ATMs and Green Dot locations.
No minimum balance requirement, opening deposit, or monthly fee for Bluevine Standard.	Charges $2.50 for non-network ATM use on top of operator surcharges.
FDIC insurance of up to $3 million.

Chase: Best for integrated payment solution and digital invoicing

Our rating: 4.19 out of 5

Image: Chase

A renowned traditional bank, Chase provides integrated payment solutions and partners with Authorize.net to make it easy to accept card payments on your eCommerce website or through your mobile device. Chase gives you the option to open three business checking accounts with waivable fees. Aside from this, the bank has a full lineup of business savings, certificates of deposit (CDs), business credit cards, lending products, and merchant services. You can access in-person customer service from over 4,700 branches in 48 states.

Why we chose it

We consider Chase one of our best banks for eCommerce businesses because it features robust payment solutions, including a free payment processor, QuickAccept, which lets you receive phone payments and send secure payment links. QuickAccept is free when you open the lowest tier account — Chase Business Complete Banking. You can also access it through the Chase mobile app. Additionally, QuickAccept funds can be deposited for free into your account on the same day. Free digital invoicing is also available from your bank account, helping you track the payments processed via QuickAccept.

Opening a Chase Business Complete Banking account does not require an initial opening deposit and a required minimum balance. You get 20 paper transactions, unlimited electronic transactions, and a monthly cash deposit allowance of $5,000.

Monthly fees

Chase Business Complete Banking: $15; waivable by having any of these:
- $2,000 average daily balance.
- $2,000 Chase Ink Business Cards spend.
- $2,000 in deposits from Chase QuickAccept or other eligible Chase Payment Solutions transactions.
- Chase Private Client Checking account.
- Qualifying proof of military status.
Chase Performance Business Checking: $30; waivable by meeting a $35,000 or greater combined average daily balance (ADB) in qualifying business deposit accounts.
Chase Platinum Business Checking: $95; waivable by meeting a $100,000 combined ADB across qualifying business deposit and investment accounts. With a linked Private Client Checking account, the required ADB is $50,000.

Features

Built-in card acceptance through its mobile app.
Payment and invoicing services via Chase Payment Solutions.
$0 or $5 wire fees for outbound FX transactions facilitated online or via Chase’s app.
Ability to send international wires in 120-plus currencies to more than 160 countries.
Free associate and employee debit cards upon request.
Chase Bank QuickBooks integration.
Fraud protection services.
Online and branch customer support.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
$5,000 free cash deposits monthly for entry-level accounts.	No interest earnings.
Unlimited electronic transactions	Only 20 fee-free paper transactions.
$300 cashback bonus for new accounts (conditions apply).	$3 ATM fee when using nonnetwork (waived for higher-tier accounts).
No required opening deposit and minimum balance.	High balances to waive the monthly fees for premium checking accounts.

Mercury: Best for fee-free wire transfers and discounted software

Our rating: 4.17 out of 5

Image: Mercury

Mercury is a fintech favored by tech startups for its fee-free business checking account with unlimited transactions, solid startup services, and high FDIC insurance of $5 million ( via partner banks’ sweep network). Its Shopify, Square, and Stripe integrations support eCommerce businesses and streamline operations. Mercury offers tiered workflow plans for faster payments through bill pay. You can benefit from advanced automated accounting when you subscribe to its paid plans, Mercury Plus, or Mercury Pro.

Why we chose it

Unlike other financial providers requiring you to subscribe to a higher plan to waive wire fees, Mercury sets itself apart by offering free domestic and international wire transfers. If you are an eCommerce entrepreneur, you can save a lot when paying your local and overseas vendors. You can also access software deals on business tools, like Google Cloud, QuickBooks Online, Gusto, and Slack, which makes running your online business more efficient. Mercury is also compatible with other business software, such as Xero, Zapier, Amazon, and PayPal.

Monthly fee

Mercury Business Checking: $0.

Features

Physical and virtual debit cards.
QuickBooks, Netsuite, and Xero accounting software integration.
Compatible with Shopify, Stripe, Square, Zapier, Amazon, and PayPal payment processors.
IO corporate card has auto cash back rewards.
Savings account available.
Customized account access and 14 subaccounts.
Advanced accounting automation is available under a subscription plan.
Mercury investor database.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
No opening deposit, minimum balance requirement, or monthly fee.	Cash deposit is not allowed.
Fee-free wire transfers.	Sole proprietorship and trust accounts cannot be opened.
1.5% cashback on all domestic and international credit card spending.	The checking account does not bear interest.

Novo: Best for speedy fund access and eCommerce app integrations

Our rating: 4.13% out of 5

Image: Novo

Novo is a digital provider that widely supports eCommerce businesses by offering a fee-free checking account which integrates with top eCommerce platforms, such as Stripe, Square, Shopify, eBay, Amazon, WooCommerce, and Etsy. Online shop owners can easily send unlimited and free invoices, receive their Stripe funds quickly, and pay vendors on the same day. For overseas payments to suppliers, you can process international transfers at a low fee, courtesy of Novo’s partnership with Wise.

Why we chose it

Novo accommodates the needs of online store owners, Amazon sellers, and dropshippers, by making Stripe payments available within hours through Novo Boost. The seamless connection with Stripe provides transparency since you can easily check your available Stripe balance in the platform. If you need to increase product orders, you can also make vendor payments using Express ACH to ensure that funds are received on the same day. With Novo, you can open 20 reserve accounts to separate your business expenses, receive ATM fee refunds of up to $7 monthly, and connect with essential business solutions, QuickBooks, Xero, and Wise.

The Novo Business Checking account features unlimited monthly transactions and allows cash deposits exclusively through money orders.

Monthly fee

Novo Business Checking: $0.

Features

Stripe, Square, eBay, Amazon, Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy integrations.
Low-fee international payments through Wise partnership.
Built-in unlimited invoicing through the Novo app.
Compatible with QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho, Freshbooks, and Gusto.
Links with Zapier, Slack, Venmo, Cash App, and PayPal.
Physical and virtual debit cards.
No standard ACH fees and incoming wire fees.
Merchant cash advances (MCAs) financing up to $75,000 via Novo Funding.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Up to $7 monthly ATM fee refunds.	No interest earnings.
No opening deposit or monthly fee.	No direct cash deposits.
No minimum balance requirement.	No debit card cash back rewards.

Features

Cashflow tools.
QuickBooks and ADP integrations.
Zelle, point-of-sale (POS) solutions, and cash management services.
Overdraft protection.
High-yield money market accounts.
Check fraud prevention services.
Fee-free withdrawals at the MoneyPass network.
Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, lines of credit, and term loans.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
$900 welcome bonus.	Minimal interest is offered for interest-bearing checking products.
No monthly fee for basic tier checking.	Steep balances required to waive monthly fees for high-tier accounts.
Cashflow tools.	Low free cash deposit limit for basic accounts.

Relay: Best for large teams needing more accounts and debit cards

Our rating: 3.94% out of 5

Image: Relay

The fintech Relay offers a fee-free business checking product that integrates with eCommerce platforms Square, Stripe, and Shopify. It also connects with payment and money transfer apps like PayPal, Venmo, Melio, and Wise, including accounting software QuickBooks Online and Xero. Online companies with large teams can apply for more business checking accounts and debit cards to streamline expense management. You can also assign different permission levels for each employee to divide financial tasks.

Why we chose it

For eCommerce businesses with large teams, it is possible to open up to 20 checking accounts and issue up to 50 Visa debit cards, both virtual and physical cards to employees. This makes it easy to track and control business expenses. An advantage Relay offers over other financial providers is allowing its customers to deposit cash for free at over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs. No ATM withdrawal fees are also charged by Relay, although operator surcharges can apply.

The Relay business checking account has no monthly fee and provides unlimited transactions. To take advantage of fee-free wire transfers and same-day ACH transfers, you can upgrade to Relay Pro at $30 monthly. Additionally, you can auto-import bills and batch bill payments.

Monthly fees

Relay Business Checking: $0.
Relay Pro: $30; not waivable.

Features

QuickBooks, Xero, Gusto, and Plaid integrations.
Relay business savings accounts earn 1% to 3% interest.
Shared account access with team members.
Debit cards can be customized.
No overdraft fees.
$5 to $10 wire fees (Relay Business Checking) and $0 wire fees (Relay Pro).
Relay Pro offers fee-free outgoing wires, same-day ACH, and more perks.
FDIC insurance coverage of up to $3 million.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Fee-free incoming wire transfers.	No APY for checking accounts.
20 subaccounts under a single ID (10 for sole proprietors).	Lacks business financing options.
No required minimum balance, opening deposit, or monthly fee for Relay Standard.

North One: Best for budgeting and multiple software integrations

Our rating: 3.89% out of 5

Image: North One

North One is a fintech platform that offers convenience to eCommerce business owners by providing an account where you can view sales, payments, and spending in one setting. Although you need an opening deposit of $50, you won’t need to pay a monthly fee. It also integrates with popular eCommerce tools, such as Shopify, Square, and Stripe, which makes it easy to monitor your business income and expenses. Unlimited subaccounts are available to track transactions from other product lines. If you need additional working capital, North One provides financing through lines of credit and term loans.

Why we chose it

A North One standard account is ideal for eCommerce entrepreneurs since one of its main features is a budgeting tool, Envelopes, where you can categorize different business expenses for a more organized approach. Another key offering is its wide range of integrations spanning accounting, financial management, invoicing, payments and eCommerce, payroll, and productivity. These software and tools allow you to run your online business smoothly. If you often send same-day ACH, you can upgrade to North One Plus ($20 monthly) for fee-free transfers.

To deposit cash in your North One account, you can transact at Green Dot retail locations (up to $4.95 per deposit). Standard users get one cash deposit fee refund, whereas Plus users get three.

Monthly fee

North One Standard Account: $0.
North One Plus Account: $20.

Features

Compatible with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Shopify, Amazon, and eBay.
Physical and virtual cards for each owner.
Free bill pay and incoming domestic wires.
Integrates with QuickBooks, Wave, Patriot Accounting, Zoho, and more.
Paper checks can be sent via the North One account.
Discounts and free trials of business software and productivity tools.
Local customer support is available through phone, email, and live chat.
Monthly ATM withdrawal fee refunds (2 for Standard users and 6 for Plus users).

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Unlimited transactions.	No APY is provided.
Sales, payments, spending, and budgeting are viewed in one place.	Lacks interest earnings.
Its budgeting tool helps categorize funds.	No savings accounts.

Revolut: Best for multi-currency accounts and integrated payment gateway

Our rating: 3.86% out of 5

Image: Revolut

Revolut offers eCommerce businesses an all-in-one finance platform that supports global payments and multi-currency accounts. You can issue employee cards for better expense management, use analytics tools, and integrate with top eCommerce solutions such as WooCommerce, Prestashop, Adobe Commerce, OpenCart, Shopify, and BigCommerce. Revolut business accounts are available for companies and freelancers in a free or paid plan.

Why we chose it

If your eCommerce company operates internationally, then opening a Revolut account can be valuable. You can make low-cost international transfers using multi-currency local accounts. You can also hold and exchange 25 currencies and spend up to 150 local currencies, which makes cross-border payments more affordable.

Revolut tops other providers by offering its own payment gateway for eCommerce businesses. Through Revolut Pay, advanced payment solutions are available for fast and secure payments. Checkout processes are also simplified. Diverse payment methods are supported, making it convenient for your customers to use their preferred digital payment mode.

Monthly fees

Basic: $0.
Grow: $30.
Scale: $119.
Enterprise: Custom.

Features

Multiple local account options are in USD, EUR, CHF, and GBP.
Physical cards and virtual cards.
QuickBooks, Xero, and Sage integrations.
In-app chat support is available 24/7.
Shared account access.
Creation and sending of custom invoices.
Facilitates bulk payments for paid plans.
Various payment acceptance tools.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
No monthly fees for the Basic Business Account.	Free international transfer allowance is available for paid plans only.
Hold and exchange 25 currencies.	2% ATM withdrawal fees regardless of the amount.
Speedy local and international payments with free transaction allowances for some plans.	Cash deposits are charged up to $4.95.

How to choose the best banks for eCommerce businesses

We looked at the following factors when evaluating and assigning a rating for the best banks for eCommerce businesses:

Integration with eCommerce platforms and other business tools.
International payment access and wire transfer costs.
Monthly fees and waiver conditions.
Transaction limits.
Interest rate offer.
Minimum opening deposit and required maintaining balances.
ATM fees and transaction limits.
Cash deposit options.
Account features.
Ease of account opening and app ratings.
Business products and services offered.
Customer support availability.

Methodology

To create the list of the best banks for eCommerce businesses, we reviewed the different providers’ eCommerce integrations, including their available business tools. We also checked a bank’s ability to send international payments and provide APY earnings. In addition, we evaluated the account’s fee structure, specifically its monthly fees, transaction limits, initial deposits, and maintaining balance requirements. Further, account features and other available business products and services were also considered.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a business bank account for eCommerce?

It is recommended for small business owners to open a business account for eCommerce to separate their business revenue from their personal funds. In addition, opening a business bank account helps you build business credit, ease tax preparation, and establish business credibility.

What is an eCommerce merchant account?

An eCommerce merchant account is a specific bank account tailored for eCommerce businesses to accept online customer payments. Using a secured payment gateway, customers can pay for an online product or service from their bank account to an eCommerce merchant account.

This article was reviewed by our banking expert Tricia Jones.

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Related Topics:Banking banks bluevine Businesses Chase eCommerce mercury north one novo relay Revolut us bank WordPress

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The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit for Pros (59+ Must-Have Tools)

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The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit for Pros (59+ Must-Have Tools)

Lots of users think that WordPress experts rely heavily on custom code for their sites. In our experience, that’s not the case.

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In this article, we will share our WordPress toolkit with you. It consists of 59+ essential tools that will help you build and run WordPress websites like a pro.

Essential tools to build your own WordPress toolkit

How We Test and Review Tools for Our WordPress Toolkit

When selecting the tools for our ultimate WordPress toolkit, we kept the following factors in mind:

We use these tools on our websites: We’ve only included tools we have tested and used ourselves. Additionally, we reviewed user feedback to ensure other users highly recommend these tools.
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Different use cases: Not all tools are perfect for every situation. That’s why we included tools that cater to various needs, such as backups, security, SEO, and performance optimization.

With that said, let’s dive into the ultimate toolkit of essential WordPress tools to help you build and manage your WordPress websites like a pro.

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For more details, take a look at our editorial process.

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11 Best eCommerce Solutions Growing in Popularity in 2024

Published

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October 25, 2024

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11 Best eCommerce Solutions Growing in Popularity in 2024

Over the last few years, we have tried out several different eCommerce solutions for our online projects. While we like using Easy Digital Downloads to sell our plugins and other software, we also know that there are plenty of other options for online stores.

That’s why we have done the research and investigated all the popular eCommerce solutions for everything from selling a single product online to full-blown online stores and membership websites.

During our testing process, we paid special attention to how easy each platform is to use, along with the features it offers for different kinds of online stores.

And in this article, we will share some of the best and most popular eCommerce solutions we have explored.

Top 3 eCommerce Platforms in 2024

🥇First place

WooCommerce

Price: Free plugin with free/paid extensions

Best for: Selling physical and digital products

Highly scalable & customizable, free to set up

🥈Second place

EDD

Price: Free and paid plans (start at $99.50/yr)

Best for: Selling digital downloads

Easy setup, sell unlimited products

🥉Third place

MemberPress

Price: Paid plans (start at $179.50/yr)

Best for: Paid memberships & online courses

Powerful membership features, course creation

How We Tested and Reviewed the Best eCommerce Solutions

While this article will talk about the best eCommerce solutions, we know there’s more to consider than just how many stores use a particular platform.

We want to introduce you to some popular eCommerce platforms that perfectly balance ease of use and affordability for your business needs.

Here’s how we approached testing and reviewing these platforms:

Value for money: Budget is a big concern for businesses, especially small startups. We looked at each platform’s pricing structure, including which features are in the starting plan, what upgrades unlock, and any additional fees that might add up.
Ease of use: Many online store owners are self-made entrepreneurs who might be new to the technical side of things. So, we prioritized platforms that make it easy to sign up, build your online store, publish it, and manage day-to-day operations.
Real-world experience: Some of the platforms we will discuss are the ones we use here at WPBeginner. This means we can confidently recommend them based on our own experience. For others, we invested our time and resources to test them.
Customer reviews: We don’t just take a platform’s word for it. We delve into user reviews to see what actual customers are experiencing. We then compare these reviews to our own testing results to ensure the platform delivers on its promises.
Market popularity: While we don’t solely rely on popularity, it does hold some weight. We used BuiltWith, a website technology tracker. It helped us get a sense of each platform’s current market share by analyzing the number of active websites built on it.

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At WPBeginner, we’re a team of passionate WordPress experts with over 16 years of experience under our belts. This experience extends far beyond WordPress itself. We’re well-versed in the world of eCommerce, digital marketing, and all things online business.

Want to learn more about our testing process and editorial practices? Read our editorial process to learn more.

1. WooCommerce (Best Overall eCommerce Solution)

We’ve experimented with many self-hosted eCommerce solutions over the years, but WooCommerce remains our favorite for selling physical products through a WordPress website.

There are several reasons why WooCommerce is a great fit for small businesses. First and foremost, it’s completely free to set up and use. A handy setup wizard guides you through the process, making it easy to launch your WooCommerce store quickly.

Managing your store inventory using WooCommerce

But what truly sets WooCommerce apart is its incredible extensibility. Unlike hosted eCommerce platforms that bundle everything in, WooCommerce allows you to choose the features you need.

However, the extensive plugin selection can also be a double-edged sword. Finding the right plugins to achieve your desired functionality can be time-consuming.

Get to know more about this eCommerce plugin in our WooCommerce review.

Live website usage stats: 6 million+

Pros of WooCommerce:

Free to set up and use
Highly scalable with tons of WooCommerce extensions available
Sample products and pre-installed themes for easy exploration
Built-in analytics to track your store’s performance

Cons of WooCommerce:

The sheer number of extensions can feel overwhelming for complete beginners.

Pricing: WooCommerce itself is a free plugin. Depending on the features, paid themes and extensions range from $1 to hundreds of dollars. WooCommerce hosting services typically start around $4 per month.

We recommend SiteGround, starting at $3.99 per month, and Bluehost, starting at $9.95 per month.

Why we chose WooCommerce: WooCommerce is the best overall eCommerce solution due to its affordability, ease of use, and unmatched scalability.

2. Easy Digital Downloads (Best for Digital Downloads)

Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) is the best eCommerce solution for selling digital products like ebooks, PDFs, software, audio files, and more. In fact, it’s the same platform we use across our companies to sell our WordPress plugins and manage customer orders.

Feel free to learn more about EDD in our Easy Digital Downloads review.

Like WooCommerce, EDD boasts an easy-to-use setup wizard that streamlines the launch process for your online store. You can quickly configure your business details, payment gateways, receipts, and product listings – all within a user-friendly interface.

EDD comes in both free and paid versions. The free plan is great if you’re just starting out with a few products. It includes all the essentials, like a shopping cart, built-in integration with popular payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, order history, and customer invoicing.

However, the free version lacks features like recurring payments, discount code generators, and software licensing. These features can be crucial for businesses offering subscription models or downloadable software.

Live website usage stats: 50,000+

Pros of Easy Digital Downloads:

Easy setup with a user-friendly interface
Sell unlimited products with no transaction fees
Free trial feature available for customers to try the products
Mobile app to manage your store on the go

Cons of Easy Digital Downloads:

It is limited to selling digital products only. If you plan to expand to physical products in the future, you’ll need to consider a different eCommerce platform or upgrade to EDD’s paid plans.

Pricing: Free version available. Paid plans start at $99.50 per year and go up to $499.50 per year. The starting paid plan allows use on 1 website, integrates with email marketing tools, and offers reporting features, custom discount codes, and support for additional payment gateways.

We recommend using SiteGround’s managed EDD Hosting, which starts at $3.99 per month.

Why we chose Easy Digital Downloads: EDD’s free version offers a fantastic starting point for beginners, while the paid plans provide powerful features for growing businesses.

3. MemberPress (Best for Paid Memberships)

MemberPress is the perfect eCommerce solution if you are running a membership-based business model. This includes online courses, coaching services, or educational websites where you offer premium content in exchange for a membership fee.

We use MemberPress ourselves to power the free WPBeginner video membership site, which helps us grow our email list.

While our membership site is free, MemberPress is highly capable of building monetized membership sites. It provides a range of features to support your business, including pay-per-view content, membership level upgrades, discount coupons, and more.

Restricting content based on membership level

One thing to consider is that MemberPress offers limited payment gateways, integrating only with Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net. This might be a drawback if your business requires a wider range of payment processing options.

Read more about the membership plugin in our MemberPress review.

Live website usage stats: 24,575+

Pros of MemberPress:

Unlimited memberships, members, access rules, and restricted content
Easy-to-use member dashboard for your customers
Extensive library of add-ons to tailor the membership site to your needs
No transaction fees on top of your chosen payment gateway’s fees

Cons of MemberPress:

Limited payment gateway options

Pricing: Starts at $179.50 per year and goes up to $499.50 per year. The basic plan allows use on 1 website with unlimited members and courses.

Also, feel free to use our MemberPress coupon code to save up to 50% off your first purchase.

Why we chose MemberPress: MemberPress’ ease of use, powerful course creation, and focus on membership site features make it a great option for businesses that want to offer exclusive content and subscriptions.

4. WP Simple Pay (Best for Selling Single Products/Services)

If you’re looking to sell a single product or service through your website, then a full-blown eCommerce software with all its features might be overkill. In fact, a complex platform could slow down your website and ruin the customer experience.

For situations like these, a payment processing plugin like WP Simple Pay is a great alternative. WP Simple Pay integrates seamlessly with Stripe, allowing you to create secure payment forms directly on your WordPress website without needing a separate shopping cart.

Despite its focus on simplicity, WP Simple Pay offers some powerful features. We’ve written extensively about the plugin’s capabilities, like one-click checkout (perfect for impulse purchases) and even buy-now-pay-later payment plans to attract a wider audience.

Learn more about the plugin in our WP Simple Pay review.

However, it’s important to remember that WP Simple Pay isn’t ideal for businesses with plans to grow a large product catalog. Order management can soon be tiring if you only rely on this plugin.

Live website usage stats: 14,000+

Pros of WP Simple Pay:

Accepts various payment methods through Stripe, including credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, QR codes, and Alipay
Option to pass on payment processing fees to customers, increasing your profitability
Drag-and-drop form builder with customization options for your payment forms
Secure payments with built-in PCI compliance (no additional setup needed)

Cons of WP Simple Pay:

Not suitable for managing large online stores with a vast product inventory

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $49.50 per year and go up to $299.50 per year. All plans include unlimited payment forms, unlimited transactions, and no monthly fees on top of Stripe’s processing fees.

You can also use our WP Simple Pay coupon code to get 50% off.

Why we chose WP Simple Pay: It provides a user-friendly and secure way to accept payments without the complexity of a full eCommerce platform, making it great for small online stores.

5. Shopify (All-in-One Hosted eCommerce Platform)

Shopify is the most popular cloud-based eCommerce website builder, and for good reason. From our testing, we believe it is a user-friendly, all-in-one solution that streamlines the process of launching and managing your eCommerce store.

Firstly, Shopify eliminates the hassle of finding separate web hosting and domain name providers. It provides everything you need to get your store up and running, including built-in hosting.

We were also impressed by the fact that it offers abandoned cart recovery in all plans, a valuable tool often missing in starter plans from other platforms.

One thing we’re not a fan of is that transaction fees apply across all plans for third-party payment providers besides Shopify Payments (which isn’t available in all countries). They range from 0.2% to 2% per transaction, with lower fees associated with higher-tier plans.

Live website usage stats: 5,300,000+

Pros of Shopify:

Simple setup with a drag-and-drop eCommerce website builder, a vast theme collection, and an easy-to-use backend
Large app store with over 8,000 third-party apps
24/7 live chat customer support ensures you have help whenever you need it
Localized selling features allow you to customize product pricing by market and translate your storefront into different languages

Cons of Shopify:

Transaction fees can add up quickly, especially if you don’t use Shopify Payments or exceed the free listing limit for displaying products on third-party marketplaces

Pricing: Plans range from $19 per month for basic stores to $2,300 per month for enterprise-level solutions. A $5 starter plan is also available for simple online stores or for selling on social media platforms.

Shopify offers a free 3-day trial and $1 for the rest of your first month.

Why we chose Shopify: Shopify is a fantastic option for beginners and growing eCommerce businesses due to its ease of use, comprehensive features, and all-in-one approach.

6. WPForms (Best for Services/Quote-Based Businesses)

WPForms is a powerful form builder plugin for WordPress and the best option for creating eCommerce forms for your website. It allows you to manage many parts of your online store, including collecting service inquiries and accepting payments for those services.

Here at WPBeginner, we use WPForms to build all sorts of forms for our projects, including our contact forms and survey forms. To learn more, see our full WPForms review.

What makes WPForms so user-friendly is its extensive library of over 2000 pre-made form templates. These templates cater to a wide range of businesses, including real estate agents, t-shirt designers, and hotel bookings.

One of the highlights of WPForms’ is its built-in reporting tool. This tool provides valuable insights into your sales performance, allowing you to track total payments, sales, refunds, and even new subscriptions (if applicable).

Plus, WPForms integrates with popular payment gateways like PayPal Commerce, Stripe, Square, and Authorize.net for secure transactions. While these are some of the most common options, WPForms offers fewer payment integrations compared to other solutions.

Live website usage stats: 6,000,000+

Pros of WPForms:

Extensive library of pre-made form templates for various business types
User-friendly drag-and-drop form builder for easy customization
Built-in payment reporting tool to track sales performance

Cons of WPForms:

Limited payment options compared to some other solutions
Not ideal for managing large product inventories due to its limited eCommerce features

Pricing: Free plan available. Plans start at $49.50 per year and go up to $299.50 per year. The most affordable plan allows use on 1 website with unlimited forms, submissions, and users.

You can also use our WPForms coupon code to get up to 50% off.

Why we chose WPForms: Overall, this form plugin is great for service-based businesses and those that require quote requests or upfront payments.

7. Squarespace (For Creative Businesses)

Squarespace isn’t just a website builder – it also offers built-in eCommerce functionality. It’s renowned for its stunning, minimalist website design templates, which cater to a wide range of industries.

Based on our experience, we believe Squarespace is a perfect fit for creative and design businesses looking to establish a beautiful online presence and sell their products.

As an eCommerce platform, Squarespace lets you sell digital and physical products. It also integrates with various tools to run an eCommerce website. For instance, you can connect with FedEx for reliable shipping and TaxJar to automate sales tax calculations.

However, its pricing structure is a bit confusing. Features like subscription products and product reviews are only available on higher-tier plans, while other platforms might offer these features as standard or through extensions.

Live website usage stats: 5,200,000+

Pros of Squarespace:

Eye-catching, pre-designed website templates and a user-friendly drag-and-drop website builder
Integrates with various tools for online selling, including payment processors, shipping solutions, and dropshipping options
Sell unlimited products through your online store

Cons of Squarespace:

Essential eCommerce features are limited on lower-tier plans, requiring upgrades to access them (unlike some competitors)
A 3% transaction fee applies to the most affordable plan for selling online

Pricing: Plans start at $16 per month and go up to $52 per month. The Business plan, which allows online selling, costs $23 per month and includes features like selling content memberships, products, services, and accepting payments.

Why we chose Squarespace: Creatives can go with Squarespace to easily build a beautiful eCommerce site with stunning templates, a smooth website builder, and integrations with popular sales tools.

8. Wix (For Niche Businesses With Specific Needs)

Wix is a website builder that offers built-in eCommerce functionalities similar to other hosted eCommerce platforms. However, Wix goes a step further by providing industry-specific features that can cater to unique business needs.

For instance, if you manage a hotel, then Wix offers features specifically designed to showcase your property and manage online bookings. These features include tools to display rental listings with customizable rules and availability settings.

While Wix boasts a comprehensive set of features, there’s a potential drawback to be aware of. In our experience, the platform itself can be a bit slow, which could impact the user experience. Some Wix users have also reported poor website loading times.

Live website usage stats: 8,600,000+

Pros of Wix:

Industry-specific features catering to niche businesses (e.g., vacation rentals, event ticketing, digital art)
Ability to sell up to 50,000 products
Supports pre-orders and sales channels like social media and marketplaces
Flexible drag-and-drop website builder with a wide variety of industry-specific templates

Cons of Wix:

Pricing: Plans range from $17 per month to $159 per month. There’s also a free plan available, but it has limited functionality.

Why we chose Wix: Overall, we recommend Wix for niche businesses that require specific functionalities beyond what basic eCommerce platforms offer.

9. BigCommerce (Premium Solution for Enterprises)

BigCommerce caters to businesses of all sizes, but it truly shines for enterprises with high-volume sales and complex needs.

First, BigCommerce offers unlimited product listings, file storage, bandwidth, and staff accounts across all plans. This lets you create a massive online store with extensive product catalogs, add high-quality product images, and manage teams without worrying about limitations.

Additionally, BigCommerce supports multi-storefronts. This enables you to manage separate brands or regional stores under one platform.

That being said, BigCommerce has sales limits associated with each plan. If your online sales exceed the limit for your current plan, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher tier.

Live website usage stats: 42,600+

Pros of BigCommerce:

Unlimited products, file storage, bandwidth, and staff accounts in all plans
Multi-currency support for international selling
Real-time shipping quotes for customer convenience
Multi-channel selling capabilities (Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, Instagram, POS systems)

Cons of BigCommerce:

Online sales limits on each plan (upgrade required if exceeded)
The drag-and-drop eCommerce website builder is not the easiest to use

Pricing: Plans range from $29 per month to $299 per month, with no additional transaction fees. The lowest plan is capped at $50,000 in annual sales. A free 15-day trial is available.

Why we chose BigCommerce: Scalability, unlimited resources, and multi-channel selling features make BigCommerce an excellent choice for businesses looking to scale fast.

10. Weebly (Freemium eCommerce Platform)

Weebly stands out as the best free eCommerce platform if you are just starting out and budget is a major concern. The free plan offers a surprising amount of functionality, including selling unlimited products, managing inventory, and even calculating sales tax automatically.

One interesting feature we found is the Quick Shop function. This allows you to create a streamlined checkout process in your online shopping experience. This is perfect for situations where you only have a single product or service to sell.

However, it’s important to understand the limitations of Weebly’s free plan. For instance, you cannot connect your online store to a custom domain name, meaning your website address won’t be as professional-looking.

Additionally, selling digital products is not allowed on the free plan.

Live website usage stats: 770,000+

Pros of Weebly:

Generous free plan with unlimited products, shopping cart, inventory management, and basic eCommerce marketing tools.
Free SSL certificate for secure online transactions.
Affordable paid plans compared to other hosted eCommerce platforms.

Cons of Weebly:

Free plan limitations (no custom domain name and restricted to selling digital products)
May feel less scalable for complex online stores

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $10 per month and go up to $26 per month. All plans include a free SSL certificate, the ability to add custom code, Quick Shop functionality, and unlimited products.

Why we chose Weebly: If you want to start a simple online store on a budget, then Weebly is a great place to do it.

11. Magento (Open-Source Solution for Enterprises)

Magento is a powerful open-source eCommerce platform owned by Adobe Commerce. Unlike hosted solutions, Magento offers extensive customization capabilities for tailoring your online store to your exact needs.

Similar to WordPress plugins, Magento extensions offer a wide range of features, from customer support and security enhancements to advanced shipping options and marketing tools. These extensions can add significant value to your store but often come with additional costs.

With all this in mind, Magento requires significant technical expertise to set up and maintain. Additionally, it demands robust hosting resources, typically on a VPS (Virtual Private Server). For business owners looking for a managed solution, it’s better to look elsewhere.

Live website usage stats: 120,000+

Pros of Magento:

Open-source software, free to download and use
A large and active community forum for support
Extensive library of extensions to enhance store functionality

Cons of Magento:

Requires significant technical expertise for setup, maintenance, and security

Why we chose Magento: With all things considered, we recommend Magento for established businesses with the technical resources and development expertise to manage a complex platform.

Must-Use Tools to Optimize Your Online Store

Now that you are familiar with the most popular eCommerce platforms, here are some must-use tools to help you optimize your store and increase conversions.

1. FunnelKit

FunnelKit is a sales funnel builder specifically designed to improve your eCommerce website’s conversion rate. By creating targeted sales funnels, you can guide your website visitors through a specific journey, leading them toward making a purchase.

We have tested out FunnelKit extensively to evaluate its features for eCommerce stores. Feel free to read our FunnelKit review to learn more about it.

Besides the sales funnel builder, you can also use FunnelKit Automations. This tool lets you set up automated marketing campaigns triggered by your visitors’ behavior. For instance, you can automatically send emails to follow up with customers after they make a purchase or promote new products.

While FunneKit offers a free version, it’s very limited. For example, it’s not possible to set up order bumps to offer users additional products to increase average order value. That’s why we recommend investing in a paid version.

Pros of FunnelKit:

Pre-made design templates for essential funnel elements
Dynamic offers can personalize upsell recommendations based on customer shopping carts
Split testing functionality to optimize your funnels for better conversions

Cons of FunnelKit:

Free plan has limitations

Pricing: Plans range from $99.5 per year to $399 per year. The most affordable plan allows use on 1 website and includes over 20 checkout templates, 9 checkout optimization features, and an abandoned cart recovery tool.

Why we chose FunnelKit: With its pre-made templates, automation features, and split testing capabilities, FunnelKit makes it easy to optimize your conversion rate and increase your sales.

2. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is a powerful lead-generation plugin designed to help you capture visitor email addresses and grow your email list. We use it on all our websites to capture leads, and it helped us increase email subscribers by 600% on WPBeginner alone.

With this tool, you can create targeted popups, opt-in forms, and notification banners to encourage users to subscribe and stay engaged with your brand. This allows you to nurture leads, promote new products and special offers, and ultimately drive more sales.

One of OptinMonster’s standout features is its advanced targeting capabilities. For instance, you can target visitors based on their exit intent (showing a popup as they try to leave your website) or tailor product recommendations based on their past purchases.

The one downside to OptinMonster is there is no free plan, though you can use our coupon code to get 10% off.

Pros of OptinMonster:

Extensive library of pre-made templates for various campaigns and seasons
User-friendly drag-and-drop builder for easy customization
A/B testing functionality to identify your most effective marketing strategies

Cons of OptinMonster:

Pricing: Plans range from $5.97 per month to $39.97 per month. Even the most affordable plan offers unlimited campaigns and unlimited subscribers, making it a cost-effective solution for growing your email list.

Why we chose OptinMonster: The vast template library, drag-and-drop builder, and advanced targeting features make OptinMonster a valuable tool for boosting conversions.

3. Advanced Coupons

Is Advanced Coupons the right coupon plugin for your WooCommerce store or WordPress website?

If you use WooCommerce as your eCommerce platform, then it already offers a built-in discount feature. However, for businesses seeking more advanced coupon features, Advanced Coupons is a powerful plugin worth considering.

This plugin lets you create various coupon types, including ‘Buy One Get One’ (BOGO) offers, coupon codes that can be shared through unique URLs, scheduled coupons that activate or deactivate at specific times, and even automatically applied coupons at checkout.

That being said, Advanced Coupons is best if you plan on offering various types of discounts. Otherwise, the plugin can feel like overkill.

You can read our Advanced Coupons review for more details.

Pros of Advanced Coupons:

Wide variety of coupon options: one-time discounts, BOGO deals, percentage or fixed-amount discounts, free shipping coupons, and more
Set usage restrictions and cart conditions to control how coupons are applied
Schedule coupons in advance for strategic promotions and sales events

Cons of Advanced Coupons:

May be excessive if you only require basic discount functionalities

Pricing: Advanced Coupons offers tiered plans starting from $59.50 per year to $149.50 per year.

However, we recommend considering the all-access bundle priced at $249.50 per year. This bundle includes Advanced Coupons, the Loyalty Program plugin, and the Advanced Gift Cards plugin. This is a complete kit to incentivize repeat business and increase customer loyalty.

You can also use our coupon code to get up to 50% off of your first purchase.

Why we chose Advanced Coupons: The plugin offers various coupon types, the ability to set rules for coupons, and coupon scheduling features. All these features let you run your promotional campaigns much more effectively.

What Is the Best eCommerce Platform?

Overall, the best eCommerce solution growing in popularity is WooCommerce. It has a user-friendly interface for managing products, inventory, and orders, making it perfect for first-time business owners.

Plus, it integrates with the extensive WordPress plugin ecosystem. This gives you countless options for marketing, payments, shipping, and more for your online store.

Alternatively, if you specialize in selling digital products like ebooks, software, or courses, then Easy Digital Downloads is the perfect solution. This eCommerce tool streamlines the process of managing digital downloads, protecting your files, and delivering them securely to customers.

If you offer exclusive content, courses, or communities, then MemberPress allows you to create paid memberships with tiered access levels. This gives you the flexibility to create premium content subscriptions and generate recurring revenue.

eCommerce Solutions: FAQs

Now that we’ve explored some popular eCommerce platforms and tools, let’s answer some frequently asked questions.

What is an eCommerce solution?

An eCommerce solution is a platform or set of tools for creating and managing an online store. It includes features for adding and managing products, processing payments securely, fulfilling orders, and tracking inventory.

What tools can help you generate revenue in an online store?

Several tools can enhance your online store’s revenue generation. Here are a few examples:

FunnelKit: This tool helps you create targeted sales funnels that guide visitors toward making a purchase.
OptinMonster: This platform allows you to create popups and promotional banners to capture leads and convert website visitors into customers.
Advanced Coupons: This plugin for WooCommerce lets you design creative discount campaigns and set up promotions to drive sales.

Is eCommerce dead?

Absolutely not. eCommerce is a thriving industry that continues to experience significant growth. The convenience and variety offered by online shopping have established eCommerce as a major force in retail.

In fact, with the ongoing rise of mobile shopping and social commerce, eCommerce is expected to keep growing in the years to come.

Ultimate Guides to Boost Your Online Store Sales

We hope this article has helped you find the best eCommerce solution that’s growing in popularity. You may also want to check out our article on proven affiliate marketing tips and our expert picks of the best referral program software for small businesses.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclaimer: We evaluated other popular platforms, like PrestaShop and Big Cartel, during our research. However, we decided to focus on the eCommerce solutions covered in this guide because we believe they offer the best value and user experience for a wider range of online businesses.

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Threat Actors Are Exploiting Vulnerabilities Faster Than Ever

Published

2 days ago

October 24, 2024

Max

Threat Actors Are Exploiting Vulnerabilities Faster Than Ever

New research by cybersecurity firm Mandiant provides eyebrow-raising statistics on the exploitation of vulnerabilities by attackers, based on an analysis of 138 different exploited vulnerabilities that were disclosed in 2023.

The findings, published on Google Cloud’s blog, reveals that vendors are increasingly being targeted by attackers, who are continually reducing the average time to exploit both zero-day and N-day vulnerabilities. However, not all vulnerabilities are of equal value to attackers, as their significance depends on the attacker’s specific objectives.

Time-to-exploit is falling significantly

Time-to-exploit is a metric that defines the average time taken to exploit a vulnerability before or after a patch is released. Mandiant’s research indicates:

From 2018 to 2019, the TTE sat at 63 days.
From 2020 to 2021, it fell to 44 days.
From 2021 to 2022, the TTE dropped even further to 32 days.
In 2023, the TTE sat at just 5 days.

SEE: How to Create an Effective Cybersecurity Awareness Program (TechRepublic Premium)

Zero-day vs N-day

As TTE continues to shrink, attackers are increasingly taking advantage of both zero-day and N-day vulnerabilities.

A zero-day vulnerability is an exploit that hasn’t been patched, often unknown to the vendor or the public. An N-day vulnerability is a known flaw first exploited after patches are available. It is therefore possible for an attacker to exploit a N-day vulnerability as long as it has not been patched on the targeted system.

Mandiant exposes a ratio of 30:70 of N-day to zero-days in 2023, while the ratio was 38:62 across 2021-2022. Mandiant researchers Casey Charrier and Robert Weiner report that this change is likely due to the increased zero-day exploit usage and detection rather than a drop in N-day exploit usage. It is also possible that threat actors had more successful attempts to exploit zero-days in 2023.

“While we have previously seen and continue to expect a growing use of zero-days over time, 2023 saw an even larger discrepancy grow between zero-day and n-day exploitation as zero-day exploitation outpaced n-day exploitation more heavily than we have previously observed,” the researchers wrote.

Zero-day vs N-day exploitation. Image: Mandiant

N-day vulnerabilities are mostly exploited in the first month after the patch

Mandiant reports that they observed 23 N-day vulnerabilities being exploited in the first month following the release of their fixes, yet 5% of them were exploited within one day, 29% within one week, and more than half (56%) within a month. In total, 39 N-day vulnerabilities were exploited during the first six months of the release of their fixes.

Infographic showing the timeline of N-day exploitation. — N-day exploitation. Image: Mandiant

More vendors targeted

Attackers seem to add more vendors to their target list, which increased from 25 vendors in 2018 to 56 in 2023. This makes it more challenging for defenders, who try to protect a bigger attack surface every year.

Graph depicting the CVE-2023-28121 exploitation timeline. — CVE-2023-28121 exploitation timeline. Image: Mandiant

Cases studies outline the severity of exploitations

Mandiant exposes the case of the CVE-2023-28121 vulnerability in the WooCommerce Payments plugin for WordPress.

Disclosed on March 23, 2023, it did not receive any proof of concept or technical details until more than three months later, when a publication showed how to exploit it to create an administrator user without prior authentication. A day later, a Metasploit module was released.

A few days later, another weaponized exploit was released. The first exploitation began one day after the revised weaponized exploit had been released, with a peak of exploitation two days later, reaching 1.3 million attacks on a single day. This case highlights “an increased motivation for a threat actor to exploit this vulnerability due to a functional, large-scale, and reliable exploit being made publicly available,” as stated by Charrier and Weiner.

Infographic showing the CVE-2023-28121 exploitation timeline. — CVE-2023-28121 exploitation timeline. Image: Mandiant

The case of CVE-2023-27997 is different. The vulnerability, known as XORtigate, impacts the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) / Virtual Private Network (VPN) component of Fortinet FortiOS. The vulnerability was disclosed on June 11, 2023, immediately buzzing in the media even before Fortinet released their official security advisory, one day later.

On the second day after the disclosure, two blog posts were published containing PoCs, and one non-weaponized exploit was published on GitHub before being deleted. While interest seemed apparent, the first exploitation arrived only four months after the disclosure.

Infographic detailing the CVE-2023-27997 exploitation timeline. — CVE-2023-27997 exploitation timeline. Image: Mandiant

One of the most likely explanations for the variation in observed timelines is the difference in reliability and ease of exploitation between the two vulnerabilities. The one affecting WooCommerce Payments plugin for WordPress is easy to exploit, as it simply needs a specific HTTP header. The second is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability, which is much harder to exploit. This is especially true on systems that have several standard and non-standard protections, making it difficult to trigger a reliable exploitation.

A driving consideration, as exposed by Mandiant, also resides in the intended utilization of the exploit.

“Directing more energy toward exploit development of the more difficult, yet ‘more valuable’ vulnerability would be logical if it better aligns with their objectives, whereas the easier-to-exploit and ‘less valuable’ vulnerability may present more value to more opportunistic adversaries,” the researchers wrote.

Deploying patches is no simple task

More than ever, it is mandatory to deploy patches as soon as possible to fix vulnerabilities, depending on the risk associated with the vulnerability.

Fred Raynal, chief executive officer of Quarkslab, a French offensive and defensive security company, told TechRepublic that “Patching 2-3 systems is one thing. Patching 10,000 systems is not the same. It takes organization, people, time management. So even if the patch is available, a few days are usually needed to push a patch.”

Raynal added that some systems take longer to patch. He took the example of mobile phone vulnerability patching: “When there is a fix in Android source code, then Google has to apply it. Then SoC makers (Qualcomm, Mediatek etc.) have to try it and apply it to their own version. Then Phone makers (eg Samsung, Xiaomi) have to port it to their own version. Then carriers sometimes customize the firmware before building it, which can not always use the latest versions of the source. So, here, the propagation of a patch is … long. It is not uncommon to find 6 month old vulnerabilities in today’s phone.”

Raynal also insists that availability is a key factor in deploying patches: “Some systems can afford to fail! Consider an oil platform or any energy maker: patching ok, but what if the patch creates a failure. No more energy. So what is the worst? An unpatch critical system or a city without energy? An unpatch critical system, it is about a potential threat. A city without energy, it is about actual issues.”

Finally, some systems are not patched at all, according to Raynal: “In some areas, patches are forbidden. For instance, many companies building healthcare devices prevent their users from applying patches. If they do, it breaks the warranty.”

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