Ransomware remains an urgent and evolving threat for the UK retail sector in 2025, with attackers employing increasingly advanced tactics to breach defences and disrupt operations.


Retailers, as guardians of significant volumes of sensitive customer and payment data, are under constant pressure from cybercriminals who now exploit weaknesses not only in individual businesses but across intricate supply chains, threatening the integrity of the entire retail ecosystem. The rise of AI-driven attacks and sophisticated social engineering techniques has further heightened the risk, enabling threat actors to circumvent traditional security controls with unprecedented agility.


Compounding these challenges is the shifting regulatory landscape. The UK government's proposed measures - including a ban on ransomware payments and the introduction of mandatory incident reporting - are set to reshape how retailers must prepare for and respond to attacks. These changes present both opportunities and obstacles, requiring retail leaders to adapt their crisis communications, legal processes, and post-incident strategies.


In this Retail Systems podcast, Megan Keeling, Senior Strategic Threat Intelligence Analyst at Recorded Future's Inskit Group, will dissect the latest trends in ransomware targeting UK retail. The conversation will move beyond headline-grabbing incidents to explore the real drivers behind attacks, the most valuable data at risk, and practical ways to strengthen supply chain resilience. Listeners will gain actionable insights into harnessing intelligence-led approaches, leveraging AI for defence, and building lasting resilience in the face of a rapidly changing threat landscape.