What UK Retailers Need to Do Now After 2025 Cyber Attacks on Big Names

Updated: 6 days ago

I. Introduction: A Sector on High Alert

The 2025 cyber attacks on three of the UK’s most iconic retail brands—Marks & Spencer, Co-op, and Harrods—represent a pivotal moment in the evolution of cyber risk for commercial sectors. These weren’t isolated IT incidents. They were disruptive events with wide-ranging operational, reputational, and regulatory implications. With the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) stepping in to mitigate potential fallout, it’s clear the stakes have escalated. The question is no longer if your organisation could be targeted—but how ready you are when it is.

II. The Incidents: What Went Wrong

Marks & Spencer: A ransomware campaign involving the DragonForce strain—attributed to the Scattered Spider group—crippled automation systems at M&S. Online operations were halted, recruitment paused, and an estimated £700 million was shaved off its market cap. Daily online losses alone crossed £3.8 million.

Co-op: Threat actors exfiltrated the names and contact information of potentially 20 million customers. While payment data remained untouched, the reputational risk was substantial. In response, Co-op instituted visible internal controls, such as mandatory video presence for remote meetings.

Harrods: Early detection of suspicious activity led Harrods to shut down internal internet access—a preventative move that proved critical. The NCSC subsequently coordinated the response, highlighting the incident's potential to affect systemic digital infrastructure.

III. Patterns and Pain Points: What These Attacks Had in Common

Third-Party Exposure: All three incidents revealed gaps in vendor risk management and external service trust boundaries.
Delayed Response: Attackers had time to cause significant disruption before being detected, pointing to insufficient telemetry and alert fatigue.
Lack of Unified Visibility: Fragmented environments hindered coordinated response across teams and systems.
Compliance Without Continuity: Traditional certifications did not equate to real-time operational security.

IV. National Oversight: The NCSC’s Proactive Stance

The NCSC’s active involvement in the Harrods case and advisories following the broader wave of breaches signal a marked shift in public-private cyber coordination. The message is clear: Retail cybersecurity is now a matter of national economic stability. In Richard Horne’s words:

“These incidents should act as a wake-up call to all organisations. I urge leaders to follow the advice on the NCSC website to ensure they have appropriate measures in place to help prevent attacks and respond and recover effectively.”

For retailers, this means aligning not just with standards, but with live, evolving threat intelligence and best practices.

V. What Retailers Must Do Now

There’s no silver bullet, but there are foundational moves retailers can and should make immediately:

Inventory Everything: Maintain a real-time inventory of applications, third-party services, and internal systems.
Implement SBOMs: Use Software Bills of Materials to track software dependencies, identify known vulnerabilities, and accelerate patch workflows.
Tighten Identity and Access Controls: Restrict third-party and privileged user access. Enforce session recording where feasible.
Automate Compliance Evidence: Replace ad hoc audits with systems that continuously collect and map evidence to ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and other frameworks.
Test Your Response: Tabletop exercises, red-teaming, and communication drills must become regular practice.

VI. Building Beyond Compliance: The Shift to Continuous Assurance

Security isn’t just about passing an audit anymore. It’s about:

Enforcing security controls dynamically
Observing system behaviour in real time
Linking controls directly to business risk

Retailers need tools and platforms that do more than tick compliance boxes—they need those that can adapt, alert, and act in live environments.

This is where modern compliance automation platforms like Zerberus.ai quietly step in. Designed by security engineers and former auditors, Zerberus helps map your evolving risk surface, detect configuration drift, and recommend just-in-time remediations. Think of it less as a product pitch—and more as a practical response to an industry-wide need.

VII. Conclusion: Resilience is the New Retail Advantage

Cyber threats aren’t going away. If anything, the 2025 attacks have shown they’re evolving faster than the average retailer’s defences. Resilience now becomes a market differentiator—not just an IT concern.

Whether through home-grown controls or industry tools like Zerberus.ai, UK retailers must embrace a new posture: one of active, ongoing, evidence-backed readiness.

Your customers expect it.

Your board should demand it.

And your future may depend on it.