The Global Retail Threat: Why Low-Risk Data is the New High-Value Target

For decades, cybersecurity strategies in retail have focused on protecting data that's visibly sensitive. Credit card numbers, personal identifiers, and financial records have traditionally been at the center of security policies. These assets are clearly defined, heavily regulated, and central to compliance. However, the threat landscape is no longer confined to these data types. Increasingly, data once seen as low priority such as browsing patterns, loyalty program activity, location trails, and engagement histories is being exploited for strategic advantage.

Recent incidents illustrate how this shift is playing out. In the Marks & Spencer (M&S) breach this spring, attackers accessed customer names, emails and phone numbers, information often perceived as harmless because no financial data was exposed. Yet this kind of personal data provides attackers with valuable building blocks for identity simulation, targeted fraud, and persistent infiltration across multiple systems.

This reflects a deeper change in how attackers operate. Cybercriminals are collecting behavioral and contextual data to map user patterns, simulate identities, and gain long-term access across digital ecosystems. The risk is no longer limited to theft. It includes manipulation, impersonation, and persistent surveillance, using data that most retailers haven't historically classified as sensitive.

What makes this even more complex is the growing use of vulnerability chaining, where attackers combine multiple smaller weaknesses across different systems to create much larger attack pathways. An isolated gap in authentication, an overlooked third-party integration, or a lightly protected data repository may seem minor individually but can rise to critical risk levels when chained together.

Retail’s rapid digital evolution has contributed to this growing exposure. In pursuit of personalization and seamless experience, businesses have created complex ecosystems across apps, loyalty systems, marketing platforms, and third-party integrations. These systems collect massive volumes of consumer data and yet are often built without a unified approach to cybersecurity. The result is a fragmented defense posture that struggles to account for how data can be repurposed and misused.

The challenge now is not just technological, it's strategic. Risk can no longer be defined by regulation alone. It must be assessed by how data can be exploited, aggregated and weaponized. This requires a reset in how organizations classify, protect and govern information.

Addressing this shift involves change across three critical dimensions: strategy, capability, and culture.

Strategically, organizations must move beyond traditional definitions of perimeter defense. Every digital interaction point must be seen as part of a larger system that carries risk. Behavioral data may not seem critical in isolation, but when combined across channels, it offers detailed insight into consumer behavior. That insight can be used for fraud, targeted attacks, and deep intrusion.

Capability is the next critical layer. As retail operations become more data-centric, every function, including marketing, customer service, logistics, and digital development, plays a role in managing data responsibly. Cybersecurity is no longer the responsibility of one department; it's an organizational imperative. Investing in skilling and upskilling across teams is essential. It's not only the security professionals who need awareness, but everyone who touches systems, processes and consumer information.

I believe strongly in enabling professionals across industries with the knowledge and skills to navigate modern threats. Thus, I recommend that retail organizations commit to building a culture of security where teams are prepared not only to respond to attacks, but to anticipate them. This means creating environments where security is woven into business decisions, customer experience design, and everyday operations.

Cybersecurity must become part of how organizations define trust and leadership. It's not just a defensive measure; it's an expression of brand integrity. Consumers are increasingly aware of how their data is used and expect businesses to be responsible stewards. Retailers that prioritize cybersecurity at every level of the organization will be better positioned to maintain trust, recover from incidents, and adapt to future challenges.

The organizations that will lead in the years ahead are those that take a broader, more informed view of risk. They're already expanding protection beyond high-risk data. They're investing in people and processes. And they're embedding cybersecurity into the architecture of commerce itself.

As the nature of data evolves, so must the mindset that governs it. What once seemed low risk is proving to be high impact. Ignoring that reality is no longer an oversight. It is a strategic vulnerability.

Jay Bavisi is the founder and group president of EC-Council, the world’s largest cybersecurity education and certification provider.