How Can Retailers Cyber-Prepare for the Most Vulnerable Time of the Year?

"The holiday season compresses risk into a short, high-stakes window. Systems run hot, teams run lean, and attackers time automated campaigns to get maximum return. Multiple industry threat reports show that bot-driven fraud, credential stuffing and account takeover attempts intensify around peak shopping events, especially the weeks around Black Friday and Christmas. Why holiday peaks amplify credential risk Credential stuffing and password reuse are attractive to attackers because they scale:"

"leaked username/password lists are tested automatically against retail login portals and mobile apps, and successful logins unlock stored payment tokens, loyalty balances and shipping addresses. These are assets that can be monetized immediately. Industry telemetry indicates adversaries "pre-stage" attack scripts and configurations in the days before major sale events to ensure access during peak traffic. Retail history also shows how vendor or partner credentials expand the blast radius."

"The 2013 Target breach remains a classic case: attackers used credentials stolen from an HVAC vendor to gain network access and install malware on POS systems, leading to large-scale card data theft. That incident is a clear reminder that third-party access must be treated with the same rigor as internal accounts. Customer account security: Passwords, MFA and UX tradeoffs Retailers can't afford to over-friction checkout flows, but they also can't ignore the fact that most account takeover attempts start with weak, reused, or compromised passwords."

Holiday shopping peaks compress risk into a short, high-stakes window when systems run hot and teams run lean, creating optimal conditions for automated attacker campaigns. Bot-driven fraud, credential stuffing and account takeover attempts intensify around Black Friday and Christmas as leaked credentials are tested at scale against retail logins and mobile apps. Successful logins can unlock stored payment tokens, loyalty balances and shipping addresses for immediate monetization. Attackers often pre-stage scripts before major sales. Vendor and partner credentials can expand the blast radius, exemplified by the 2013 Target breach. Adaptive conditional MFA and blocking known compromised credentials balance security with customer UX.

Read at The Hacker News