A spike in ransomware attacks across the UK retail sector is a warning to every business. Here’s what the incidents exposed – and a four-week plan to help you respond with confidence.
A string of high-impact cyber incidents involving major UK retailers has brought long-standing vulnerabilities into sharp focus – from third-party exposure to gaps in detection and crisis response. While these events played out in the retail sector, the risks they exposed are widespread. Whether you're in logistics, manufacturing, finance or beyond, the need to strengthen cyber resilience is more urgent than ever.
This article outlines a clear, time-bound action plan to help your organization do just that – in just 30 days.
Week 1: Map the risks
Begin with a clear-eyed view of your environment. Many recent attacks exploited longstanding assumptions – such as the reliability of third parties or the sufficiency of legacy tools.
Key steps:
Map your third-party ecosystem – Who has access to what? Which suppliers connect to your critical systems?
Assess detection readiness – Can you spot unusual activity, credential abuse or data exfiltration?
Replace outdated assurance – Move beyond annual supplier questionnaires to real-time monitoring and threat intelligence.
Week 2: Harden your defences
With visibility established, the next step is decisive containment. This is about quickly closing the pathways threat actors are most likely to exploit.
Key steps:
Tighten access controls – Limit privileged access and implement just-in-time permissions.
Deploy enhanced monitoring – Prioritise visibility across endpoints and high-risk zones.
Update response playbooks – Ensure your response plans are current, tested and understood across functions.
Week 3: Test your readiness
Too often, the first real test of a cyber response plan is the attack itself. This week is about building muscle memory through realistic rehearsal.
Key steps:
Simulate a breach – Run executive-level scenarios that test cross-functional coordination and decision-making under pressure.
Rehearse communications – Practice media and social media escalation responses. Be ready to own the narrative quickly.
Review your insurance – Does your cyber coverage reflect current risks? Are notification timelines and recovery terms aligned with reality?
Week 4: Build for the long term
Cyber resilience is not a one-off project – it’s a continuous commitment that must be embedded across leadership, operations and supply chains.
Key steps:
Finalise your zero-trust roadmap – Make identity the new perimeter and adopt a “never trust, always verify” approach.
Launch continuous monitoring – Move from static assurance to dynamic visibility – across both internal and third-party systems.
Make cyber a standing agenda item – Quarterly executive briefings on cyber resilience should be standard practice.
Why now?
Attackers are methodical. They strike during holiday weekends. They use social engineering over brute force. They go to the media when they don’t get what they want. And they know that many organizations still rely on outdated assumptions about access, detection and communications.
But the most important lesson from recent incidents is this: you don’t need to wait for a breach to act like you’ve had one. With a clear 30-day plan, your organisation can go from reactive to resilient – starting now.
Learn more
LRQA supports organizations around the world with tailored cybersecurity assessments, advisory services and incident response planning. Contact us to find out how we can help.
