Dr Harjinder Lallie on the Recent Retail Cyber Attacks

Commenting on the recent cyber attacks on Harrods, the Co-op, and Marks & Spencer (M&S), Dr Harjinder Lallie, Reader in Cyber Security at Warwick Manufacturing Group, The University of Warwick, said:

"The attacks on Harrods, the Co-op, and Marks & Spencer underline a growing and urgent threat: the UK retail sector is increasingly in the crosshairs of cybercriminals. As digital infrastructure becomes ever more central to business operations, the sector must recognise cyber resilience as a critical business priority.

"The retail industry must enhance its cyber preparedness. This means developing robust resilience strategies, ensuring strong business continuity frameworks, and establishing rapid response protocols that allow organisations to recover immediately from attacks.

"As cyber threats continue to evolve in scale and sophistication, retailers must act decisively to protect their operations, their customers, and their reputations."