UAB "D GROUP": E-Commerce Development & Maintenance for Successful European Expansion

To ensure the security and reliability of its e-commerce systems, the company engaged a specialist team for a systematic infrastructure security assessment and ongoing maintenance. This decision was driven not only by the need to reduce the risk of cyber threats, but also to establish a solid foundation for future technological development.

The security assessment revealed that the network of online stores was running on the PrestaShop 1.6 platform, for which official vendor support had been discontinued. Known vulnerabilities existing in that version pose a real risk, as the vendor no longer provides security patches to address these weaknesses.

In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, cybersecurity has become one of the most critical factors in the reliability of e-commerce systems. Attack methods continue to advance and grow more sophisticated, and newly identified security vulnerabilities are often publicly disclosed, making unpatched systems easy targets.

Maintaining platform security requires regular software updates and continuous technical maintenance. This practice not only enables access to more advanced features but also allows existing security vulnerabilities to be remediated. Without it, even previously reliable systems can become compromised, and publicly known weaknesses may be exploited by malicious actors, threatening data confidentiality and business continuity.

Following the security assessment, an immediate risk mitigation phase was initiated — identified vulnerabilities were addressed, additional protective measures were deployed, and access controls were tightened. These actions not only reduced the immediate threat but also laid a solid foundation for further infrastructure modernisation, during which the following core objectives for the e-commerce platform were defined:

One of the most significant phases of the modernisation project was the creation of a multi-store architecture, enabling centralised management of online stores for different markets within a single system. This was achieved using the built-in multi-store functionality of the PrestaShop CMS, which allows multiple stores to be administered from one back-office environment. In this way, the system administrator can manage orders, product catalogues, pricing, and content either across all stores collectively or for individual markets separately.

Server resource optimisation also emerged as a key advantage of this solution. Rather than hosting several independent websites, the multi-store architecture allows a shared infrastructure to serve all markets. This structure reduces the cost of website maintenance and hosting, simplifies technical administration, and makes it easier to roll out updates and expand integrations.

In an e-commerce environment, design plays a pivotal role in shaping the user experience, which directly influences conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and brand perception. To ensure visual consistency and ease of use, a third-party theme was selected and customised to meet the client's needs and specific business processes — shortening development time while maintaining the desired level of design quality.

Based on the analysis carried out and the client's vision, targeted design improvements were planned, focused on UX flow and information accessibility. Among the more significant changes were expanded dropdown menu columns, ensuring text readability and more intuitive navigation. Manufacturer logo placement was also optimised so that shoppers can quickly identify their preferred brands and associated product lines.

Beyond visual improvements, custom modules were developed to extend the site's informational structure. One allows additional technical or descriptive data to be appended to product attributes, improving information clarity and supporting more informed purchasing decisions. Another module provides an informational banner at the top of the site — a feature that enables timely communication with visitors about delivery timelines, promotions, or other important updates.

All design changes were implemented using a child theme, which ensures the technical stability of modifications and compatibility with future platform updates. This approach is considered one of the best practices in PrestaShop maintenance, helping to avoid situations where design or functionality changes are lost during system updates.

In large-scale e-commerce operations, reliable and accurate data exchange between suppliers, warehouses, and various sales channels is essential. Smooth integration of these systems ensures proper inventory management, timely price updates, and real-time information for customers. To support these processes, specialised data import and export modules were implemented, automating information flow management and significantly reducing the need for manual intervention.

The import system is integrated with more than ten supplier data sources. It periodically updates product stock levels, prices, descriptions, and other key specifications based on supplier-provided data.

An important part of the import system is automated product availability management. This feature analyses supplier data in real time and removes from the catalogue any items that are no longer available, protecting customers from misleading information and ensuring that only genuinely available stock is displayed on the site.

The export module ensures the systematic transmission of data to external sales platforms and other e-commerce channels. Automated synchronisation keeps pricing, stock levels, and product information consistent across the entire supply chain. This eliminates data discrepancies between platforms and reduces the risk of errors that could have a direct impact on both business reputation and customer experience.

A large proportion of modern cyberattacks are initiated by automated systems that systematically scan website structures, seek out vulnerable forms, or generate excessive traffic. To protect the site against this type of activity, a multi-layered set of methods was implemented to distinguish legitimate users from automated processes.

Behavioural analysis tools were applied first, evaluating user interactions with site elements — from browsing logic to the sequence and timing of specific actions. This analysis makes it possible to determine whether the site is being used by a real person or an automated programme. In addition, a browser capability check was implemented to assess whether the user's environment supports the essential components required for the site to function, enabling even more precise identification of bots.

To reduce the risk of mass scanning and data harvesting, deceptive protection measures were introduced — so-called honeypot elements. These are hidden form fields and concealed links that are invisible to genuine users but detectable by automated bots. When triggered, the system automatically initiates blocking actions.

Geographic filtering is also applied, restricting access from regions with a higher incidence of cyberattacks. This provides protection against systematic automated traffic originating from specific sources.

Firewall technologies play an important role in infrastructure protection, operating at both the cloud service and application levels. This approach enables malicious requests to be filtered before they reach server resources, while also allowing requests to be analysed within the system itself. According to statistical data, up to 130,000–150,000 malicious requests are blocked per day.

Cybersecurity is not a one-time solution — it is a continuous process requiring ongoing attention. To maintain an appropriate level of security, systems are regularly updated, activity logs are analysed, and network traffic is monitored. Backups are also systematically created and tested, enabling rapid recovery in the event of an incident. This comprehensive approach forms a solid foundation for long-term infrastructure stability and reliability.

During the transition to the updated e-commerce platform, one of the key priorities was to ensure organic traffic stability and uninterrupted user accessibility. When restructuring an online store, it is essential to avoid scenarios where existing pages become unreachable, as this can negatively impact the site's visibility in search engines and the overall user experience.

To mitigate these risks, a systematic redirect process was carried out, mapping old URLs to the new store structure. This ensured that all pages previously indexed by Google remained accessible after the update, preserving existing organic traffic and allowing visitors to reach their desired products or categories without disruption.

Additionally, a dynamic 404 error page management module was developed, which analyses the keywords of the entered URL and automatically suggests similar products. This solution retains users even when a specific product or category has been removed, providing an alternative recommendation and maintaining a seamless browsing experience.