The Retail Blackout: Ransomware

The holiday ransomware playbook retail CISOs need

Holiday season is peak season for retailers. And it’s hunting season for ransomware gangs. They time attacks for the weeks when leverage is highest, when uptime drives revenue, when pressure leads to gaps, and when data is moving across every system and supplier in the chain.

For CISOs, that surge threatens revenue, customer trust, and compliance. High transaction volumes, IT change freezes, legacy networks, and complex partner ecosystems create the conditions adversaries target.

Architecture is now retail’s strongest ally. This guide shows how CISOs can build resilience, contain impact, and keep trading when ransomware gangs go holiday shopping.

What’s inside the eBook:

• Holiday timing: Why ransomware gangs time campaigns around retail’s busiest weeks
• RaaS scale: How organized attackers are structured and enabled to target retailers and their partner ecosystems
• AI advantage: How automation, deception, and rapid iteration give attackers more leverage during peak season
• Architecture testing: How CISOs can evaluate their current infra, and pinpoint where resilience will hold and where it won’t
• Architectural impact: Why a converged, cloud-native architecture limits the blast radius, keeping retailers trading even during active attacks