9 - E-commerce security

Summary

The Internet is dramatically changing the way that goods (tangible and intangible) and services are produced, delivered, sold, and purchased. Due to this development, trade on the Web becomes an essential requirement for enterprises. From e-commerce to m-commerce, which has become a major service nowadays, every enterprise works hard to find out a way to sell and buy that can satisfy its requirements. Several payment protocols have been developed. The security of servers, transactions, and payment operations has become a major issue for the success of business on the Internet.

Introduction

E-commerce security has become a serious concern for enterprises and citizens who rely on distributed digital processing in their daily operations. From a customer's perspective, the purpose of an e-commerce system is to enable the customer to locate and purchase a desired good (tangible or intangible) or service over the Internet when he/she is interested in getting it. Its function is to provide a virtual store. From a merchant's perspective, the key function of an e-commerce system is to generate higher revenues than the merchant would achieve without the system. To this end, the e-commerce system must recreate or utilize existing data and business processes and provide other processes to facilitate electronic purchase and provide product information, inventory systems, customer service, and transaction capabilities including credit authorization, tax computation, financial settlement, as well as delivery. Additional functions of an e-commerce system are to help redefine and enhance an enterprise's capability, customer-service capability, and delivery effectiveness.