If you run an ecommerce business in the UK, website security is probably high on your list of priorities — and for good reason. With online fraud still on the rise, ensuring your customers' transactions are safe is crucial to building trust and driving sales.

One of the most important security measures introduced in recent years is Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), part of the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). If you’re using WooCommerce to power your online store, it’s vital to understand how SCA affects your business and what WooCommerce is doing to keep your transactions secure.

In this article, we'll break down what SCA is, how it works, and why WooCommerce remains one of the most secure ecommerce platforms when it comes to SCA compliance.

What is Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)?

Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is a regulation that was introduced in September 2019 as part of the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). It was designed to reduce online fraud and make electronic payments more secure within the European Economic Area (EEA), including the UK.

Under SCA, customers must provide two or more forms of authentication when making an online purchase. This multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by ensuring the person making the payment is who they say they are.

Authentication must include two of the following:

1. Something the customer knows – like a password or PIN.

2. Something the customer has – like a mobile device or security token.

3. Something the customer is – like a fingerprint, facial recognition, or voice recognition.

In practical terms, this means your customers may now have to enter a one-time passcode sent via SMS, use facial recognition on their smartphone, or verify a payment through their bank’s app.

Why is SCA Still Important in 2025?

Although SCA has been around since 2019, its relevance in 2025 is stronger than ever. According to recent reports, online payment fraud has increased by over 30% in the past three years, putting businesses and customers at higher risk than ever before.

The financial loss from online fraud can be devastating, not to mention the reputational damage it causes. If a customer experiences fraud after purchasing from your store, they may lose trust in your brand, resulting in lost revenue and potential damage to your online reputation.

This is why ensuring your ecommerce store is SCA-compliant and uses a secure payment gateway is critical for protecting both your business and your customers.

How Does WooCommerce Handle Strong Customer Authentication?

If you’re running a WordPress website with WooCommerce, you’ll be pleased to know that WooCommerce has kept up-to-date with SCA requirements since they were introduced.

WooCommerce now works seamlessly with SCA-ready payment gateways, ensuring that all transactions meet the required multi-factor authentication without disrupting the user experience.

Here are some of the most popular WooCommerce payment gateways that are fully SCA-compliant:

• Stripe – One of the most popular payment gateways for WooCommerce, Stripe is fully SCA-ready and supports multi-factor authentication.

• PayPal – PayPal automatically handles Strong Customer Authentication where necessary.

• Square – Square supports two-factor authentication and is SCA-compliant.

• Amazon Pay – Offers secure checkout processes that comply with SCA.

• Global Payments Gateway – Ensures SCA compliance and secure online transactions.

By using one of these trusted payment gateways, you’ll significantly reduce the risk of fraud and ensure your business remains compliant with UK and EU regulations.

What Happens If You’re Not SCA-Compliant?

If your WooCommerce store is not compliant with SCA, you could face some serious challenges, including:

1. Declined payments – Transactions that don’t pass the SCA checks may be automatically declined by the bank, resulting in lost revenue.

2. Higher fraud risk – Without the added layer of security provided by SCA, your business may be more vulnerable to fraud.

3. Customer frustration – Customers who experience failed payments due to a lack of SCA may abandon their purchases, impacting your conversion rates.

The good news? WooCommerce, when paired with an SCA-compliant payment gateway and secure web hosting, ensures you won’t run into these issues.

Is Your WooCommerce Website Secure Enough?

While WooCommerce makes it easy to meet SCA regulations, there’s more to website security than just payment authentication. If your ecommerce site isn’t hosted on a high-performance, secure server, you’re still leaving yourself vulnerable to other threats like:

• DDoS attacks – Where hackers overload your website with traffic to take it offline.

• Malware injections – Where malicious code is inserted into your website files, potentially stealing customer data.

• Phishing attacks – Where attackers pose as your business to steal sensitive information from customers.

At CMS Live, we don’t just build WooCommerce websites — we provide fully managed, high-security hosting that keeps your site protected 24/7. This includes:

• Firewall protection – To block malicious traffic before it reaches your site.

• SSL certificates – Encrypting data transfers between your site and your customers.

• Automatic backups – Ensuring you can restore your site in case of a breach.

• Malware scanning and removal – Keeping your website free from harmful code.

By combining SCA-compliant payment gateways with secure hosting, you create a safer, more reliable shopping experience for your customers.

How to Keep Your WooCommerce Store SCA-Compliant

If you’re not sure whether your ecommerce website is fully SCA-compliant or you’re concerned about your website’s overall security, here are a few steps you can take:

1. Check your payment gateway – Make sure you’re using an SCA-ready payment gateway like Stripe, PayPal, or Amazon Pay.

2. Update your plugins – Always keep your WooCommerce plugin and other related extensions up to date to avoid security vulnerabilities.

3. Enable two-factor authentication – Use two-factor authentication (2FA) for your WooCommerce admin login to protect your store from backend breaches.

4. Choose secure hosting – Work with a hosting provider that understands ecommerce security and can offer fast, secure hosting for your WooCommerce site.

Need Help Making Your WooCommerce Website Secure?

At CMS Live, we’ve been helping UK businesses build and maintain secure WooCommerce websites since 2007. We understand how critical website security is — especially for ecommerce businesses handling customer payments daily.

If you’re unsure whether your WooCommerce site meets Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) requirements or if your website hosting is strong enough to handle security threats, we’re here to help.

Book a free website security audit today, and we’ll review your:

• SCA compliance.

• Payment gateway setup.

• Hosting security.

• Overall site performance.

Don’t wait until your business is affected by fraud. Secure your WooCommerce website today.

Contact CMS Live now to get started.