Last year, several retailers were hit by a cyber-attack. In July, Coop Sweden had to close all of its 800 stores for days after point-of-sale tills and self-service checkouts stopped working. The company itself was not the target, a large software supplier that it works with was hit.
In October, the Tesco app and website went down for two days after a hack that left customers unable to place orders. In December, more than 300 James Hall-supplied Spar stores in the UK fell victim to an attack and had to close their doors. The wholesaler’s IT systems were invaded, and hackers gained access to its internal systems, operating everything from stock control to logistics.
The cases highlight the growing concern among retailers about both direct targeted attacks as well as attacks where hackers claim multiple victims by attacking their suppliers. In this increasing digitalizing retail world, investing in cybersecurity is becoming more important. Schwarz Group, owner of Lidl and Kaufland, just bought a major stake in Israeli IT security provider XM Cyber. The company simulates attack paths, using simulated attacker techniques in vulnerable parts of companies’ IT system in order to close them.
The cases highlight the growing concern among retailers about both direct targeted attacks as well as attacks where hackers claim multiple victims by attacking their suppliers. In this increasing digitalizing retail world, investing in cybersecurity is becoming more important. Schwarz Group, owner of Lidl and Kaufland, just bought a major stake in Israeli IT security provider XM Cyber. The company simulates attack paths, using simulated attacker techniques in vulnerable parts of companies’ IT system in order to close them.