More Than 200,000 Magento 1 Stores Are Prone To Vulnerabilities In 2020

20 Dec 2019

Mike Patel

There is a silent threat to e-commerce that will reach a crisis level this coming June. The Magento 1.x branch is scheduled to reach End-Of-Life (EOL), creating a massive security threat since any e-commerce stores on this distribution will no longer receive critical security updates.

As of this writing, close to a quarter-million stores will be left vulnerable per current statistical estimates. Why is this effect so widespread? Many owners are still in the dark about whether they’re affected by Magneto 1.x EOL and how this problem came to be. Here’s a quick summary to help you understand the magnitude of this problem, and why it’s so important to make the switch to prevent an EOL crisis for your e-commerce site.

A Quick History of Magneto

The most popular platform for hosting e-commerce sites, Adobe Magneto launched in 2007 and quickly established itself as the app to beat thanks to its top-notch features and highly customizable interface. Eight years later, Adobe launched Magneto 2.0 as an upgrade to the already exemplary Magneto 1.0 platform. This upgrade constituted a total code and architectural rebuild from the ground up, and naturally, it came with the usual growing pains of improving on an older system.

Many e-commerce site owners preferred to stick to the more stable and proven Magneto 1.x, a decision that allowed them to minimize the impact of breaking changes between the two versions. It’s a common practice in the web developer community, so Magneto 2.0 did not possess nearly the widespread adoption that Magneto 1.x had accumulated over the previous eight years of patching, bug fixing, and troubleshooting.

Additionally, there currently are more sites using Magneto 1.x than Magneto 2.0. Out of the 270,000 or more e-commerce sites using Magneto, only about 11,000 currently have the Magneto 2.0 upgrade installed. This resistance to adopting the newer platform is the source of the current looming crisis, as the developers at Magneto are planning to sunset their support for Magneto 1.x as of June 2020.

How Magneto 1.x Branch Systems Are More Vulnerable

Since the launch of Magneto 2.0 in 2015, hackers and identity thieves have devoted their efforts to attacking Magneto 1.x hosting sites using an app called Magecart. This software allows unauthorized persons to gain access to credit cards and personal information used or stored on Magneto 1.x sites. Magecart is ineffective on Magneto 2.0 systems, so a Magneto 1.x build puts customer data and site security at critical risk of theft and attack.

Once Magneto 1.x systems go EOL this upcoming June, hackers will be redoubling their efforts to find bugs new to exploit. After all, there will be no new security updates for Magneto 1.x from the team at Adobe, and any site not on Magneto 2.0 will be wide open to attack. Site owners who don’t migrate to Magneto 2.0 are like store owners leaving their doors unlocked after the close of business, and the consequences of this are like what happens in the real world. Thieves break in and steal anything not nailed down.

How to Protect Your E-commerce Site From Magneto 1.x Vulnerabilities

Owners will need to migrate their pages to Magneto 2.x to maintain site security and prevent data breaches. A breach can cause significant damage to an e-Commerce site’s brand, so security maintenance needs to take top priority. Migrating to Magneto 2.x is the best solution to this potential crisis, and it comes with Adobe’s crack team of security specialists constantly working to update their platform to protect it from new attacks as hackers and identity thieves continue to probe the system for weaknesses and security bugs.

It’s also important to recognize that this change for June 2020 is the final deadline. Adobe has already pushed the deadline back once from November 2018, and site owners who think they’re not already on borrowed time need a wake-up call. You are continuing to administrate a site using a platform that puts both your business and your customer’s trust at risk.

If your e-commerce site currently uses the Magneto 1.x platform, you need to take action now to switch your site and content over to Magneto 2.0. Not only are you taking on significantly more risk now running an older, less secure platform, but you are also setting yourself up for attack when Magneto 1.x reaches EOL this summer. If you don’t have website maintenance and upgrade service, now is the time to start looking around. Try to find one that specializes in Magneto migration, and get more than one quote before you make a decision. Do what you need to do now to avoid harsh and expensive consequences later.

Mike Patel

Mike Patel is the Founder and CEO of ioVista, a leading digital commerce agency specializing in eCommerce solutions. With a strong background in business and technology, Mike Patel has been at the forefront of driving digital transformations for businesses. He has successfully navigated the ever-changing landscape of eCommerce, helping companies leverage the power of online platforms to grow their brand, increase revenues, and optimize their digital presence. Under his leadership, ioVista has become a trusted partner with major technology companies: Adobe/Magento, Google, BigCommerce, Shopify, and Yahoo. He is dedicated to staying ahead of industry trends, adopting cutting-edge technologies, and continuously improving strategies to provide clients with a competitive edge. Mike’s commitment to excellence and client satisfaction is evident in every project ioVista undertakes.