It’s hardly surprising that the retail sector is one of the most frequently targeted globally, with retail sales in the US alone projected to top $5.2 trillion in 2022. Consumers’ money and data have for years been a big potential prize for cybercriminals to get their hands on, and the surge in digital investment and online shoppers prompted by the pandemic has only made retail a more attractive prospect for would-be hackers. Malicious insiders, negligent staff and misconfigured or vulnerable software across networks, endpoints and point of sale (POS) devices have all widened the corporate attack surface over the years.
In this context, cybersecurity plays a critical role in protecting customers’ personal and financial data, keeping ransomware at bay and preserving brand reputation. Ultimately it is a means of seizing opportunity – the opportunity to drive closer customer engagement and grow business.
As a new report from ESET makes abundantly clear, the pandemic has already had an outsize impact on the sector. How well retailers can manage the surge in online threats may define their long-term success in a post-pandemic world. Read more: https://bit.ly/3HVUB76