Many retailers hit by cyber attacks

A recent survey by Kaspersky found that 87% of retailers faced cyber incidents over the past 12 months, with almost one-fifth suffering permanent data loss. The survey, which included IT security specialists from 18 countries, revealed key target areas and potential damage to businesses in the retail sector.

The retail industry is highly vulnerable to cyber threats due to the large amounts of personal data it accumulates, from initial browsing to final payment. Only 13% of survey respondents in the sector escaped cyber incidents over the past year, making it a prime target for cybercriminals.

Cyber Incidents and Threats

Phishing was the most prevalent threat, reported by more than one-fifth of retailers (21%). Other social engineering-related attacks included deepfakes (13%), invoice or payment fraud (13%), business email compromise (9%), and vishing (voice phishing) (8%). The top 3 most frequently experienced incidents in retail organisations also comprised cyber espionage (19%) and web application exploits (18%).

Adversaries’ main goals during attacks were stealing clients’ and employees’ personal data (34% and 28% respectively). This variety of threats demonstrates that retailers face risks not only from manipulating employees and partners but also from technically sophisticated attacks on their online infrastructure.

The poll also identified human actions as the main worry, with IT and security staff lacking sufficient skills (27%) and a lack of security awareness (27%) leading the list. Technical issues, such as outdated software or hardware and the absence of centralized control over IT infrastructure, are equally common, at 23% each.

Read Also: South Africa’s Fortress Retail Focuses on Sustainable Growth

Protection Measures and Future Plans

Among the most popular protection measures taken after the most harmful incident organisations had experienced, were the implementation of Zero Trust or the Principle of Least Privilege for employees, partners, and contractors (31%), strengthening cloud security controls (30%), and installation of monitoring IT security solutions (30%).

Willing to enhance their IT security function, 82% of retailers increased their IT security budget this year. Almost half of these companies (41%) have allocated new funding to outsource specific IT security functions, including employee education, MSSP, MDR, and the deployment of data protection technologies.

As the retail industry depends more on AI tools, with 12% of retailers already having a working LLM-based tool and 83% in the discussion, design, or pilot phases, AI is likely to be important for retail’s future. However, 33% of retail companies state they see no risks in AI, which is much higher than the industry average (18%).

Elizaveta Komarova, Solution Architect, Finance & Retail at Kaspersky, notes, “Retail is a highly dynamic industry: business priorities, workloads, infrastructure requirements, and economic conditions change rapidly. To ensure that cybersecurity keeps pace with these changes, retailers choose to turn to external security service providers, gaining access to the required expertise and technologies without having to continuously expand their in-house teams.”

The use of personal devices for work-related activities and the storage of corporate data is a common practice among employees, with more than a third of respondents (34%) stating that this is a typical digital misbehaviour of their colleagues. Almost equally widespread, in 33% of companies, employees practice irresponsible password habits, including weak or reused passwords, and also connect corporate devices to public Wi-Fi networks without using a secure connection.

Read Also: Sales Data Misses Demand and Hurts Growth

More insights, best practices, and recommendations for retailers are available on the Kaspersky website. The study, conducted by Kaspersky Internal Research Center in 2026, surveyed IT security experts from 18 countries, targeting companies with 100+ employees across diverse industries.

The survey found that 19% of retailers suffered irrecoverable data loss, and 16% suffered irreversible damage to corporate assets or systems, highlighting the need for effective cybersecurity measures to protect against these types of attacks. The cost of any disruption is particularly high during peak periods, such as seasonal sales, periods of increased consumer demand, and holidays, when in-house teams may have limited availability.

The study involved interviewing 1800 specialists and management representatives who work or are in charge of IT security functions. The retail sector is represented by a total of 120 respondents, offering valuable insights into the industry’s cybersecurity challenges.

Consequences and Budget Increases

Common results of recent attacks include personal data theft and financial loss. Disruption of business and operational processes also occurred.

Implementing Effective Cybersecurity Measures

To strengthen the capabilities of their digital environment, retailers should deploy advanced endpoint protection solutions on workstations, laptops, and mobile devices to detect and prevent cyber incidents. Ensuring continuous updates of all security solutions is also key to stay aligned with emerging threats.