Throughout May 2025, the retail industry continued to face a barrage of ransomware attacks and data breaches that demonstrate the evolving threat actors, their sophisticated techniques and the scale of risk confronting both large and mid-sized retailers worldwide. This report provides an overview of the retail-specific incidents observed between 1 May 2025 and 31 May 2025, based on data from ransomware.live and cross-referenced with reputable sources such as Mandiant (Google Cloud), IBM X-Force Exchange and the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It also includes a deep dive into attacker groups where identifiable, an assessment of their tools and practices, and the key lessons learned. Finally, it offers a brief overview of all reported breaches in the United Kingdom and Europe during this period, underscoring the threats facing large organisations across different sectors.
By highlighting the methods used by threat actors and connecting these attacks to actionable security measures, this analysis aims to equip both decision-makers and security practitioners with the intelligence necessary to strengthen defences. Additional resources and guidance can be found on Cyber Defence, as well as on platforms like CrowdStrike Falcon OverWatch and Recorded Future, which were also referenced for correlation of activity (see references from 7 May 2025 and 15 May 2025, respectively).
Recent Incidents in the Retail Sector
During the four-week period from 1 May 2025 to 31 May 2025, eight distinct ransomware-related breaches targeting retail organisations were reported on ransomware.live. Three of these incidents involved UK-based retailers, while the remaining five targeted retailers across Europe and North America with substantial online storefront operations. Of the three UK cases, one was linked to the LockBit group, confirmed by Mandiant on 9 May 2025. In one prominent attack on a mid-tier British clothing retailer on 10 May 2025, LockBit reportedly leveraged a publicly disclosed remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2025-1111) in the retailer’s e-commerce platform, according to IBM X-Force Exchange on 12 May 2025.
Another notable breach, confirmed on 15 May 2025, involved a Spanish grocery chain whose point-of-sale (POS) systems were infiltrated by a variant of the Clop ransomware family. Early analysis by OTX (AlienVault) on 17 May 2025 suggests the attackers pivoted through compromised vendor credentials and escalated privileges inside the corporate network, exploiting a misconfigured Virtual Private Network (VPN) gateway to move laterally before deploying their ransomware payload.
Deep Dive into Attacker Groups’ Tools, Techniques and Practices
LockBit has continued to refine its encryption routines while broadening its double extortion tactics, wherein exfiltrated data is used as leverage to demand higher ransom payments. According to Recorded Future reporting on 18 May 2025, LockBit actors often rely on phishing campaigns and opportunistic scanning for unpatched software, such as vulnerable e-commerce plugins or outdated remote desktop solutions. Once inside a network, LockBit operators focus on rapid lateral movement and identify critical databases before locking them down to hinder operational continuity.
Clop, as seen in the Spanish grocery chain breach, is known for its consistent targeting of large enterprises that rely on interconnected transport or financial systems. Clop affiliates frequently exploit stolen credentials to gain initial access, then use native Windows tools like PowerShell for stealthy command execution. CrowdStrike’s Falcon OverWatch (22 May 2025) noted that Clop’s typical infrastructure includes fast-flux hosting services, making it harder for security teams to trace command-and-control servers.
Both LockBit and Clop share a preference for compromised credentials, VPN infiltration and exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities. As documented in The Hacker News (27 May 2025), these adversaries benefit significantly when network segmentation is not properly enforced, allowing them to escalate privileges quickly and deploy ransomware in a matter of hours, sometimes leveraging domain-wide Group Policy to distribute malicious binaries system-wide.
Lessons Learned for Retail Organisations
Recent breaches highlight the importance of vulnerability management across retail environments, particularly for e-commerce platforms and point-of-sale systems. Ensuring that known vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-1111 are patched in a timely manner is vital. Regular employee security training on phishing recognition contributes significantly to pre-empting initial compromise. Equally critical is zero trust network segmentation, which hinders lateral movement by enforcing strict access controls between different layers of the environment. The continued reliance on stolen credentials underscores the need for multi-factor authentication and frequent rotation of privileged credentials. Many attacks would be mitigated by implementing default-deny firewall rules, robust intrusion detection systems and rigorous event logging for early threat detection. More guidance on these protective measures can be found in the Cyber Defence Insights section of our website.
Broader UK and European Threat Landscape
Beyond the retail sector, UK and European organisations across finance, manufacturing and healthcare also reported increased attempts at ransomware attacks between 1 May 2025 and 31 May 2025. According to data collated by the UK’s NCSC (29 May 2025), there were twenty-three reported ransomware compromises in total across the region this month, marking a 15 percent increase over April 2025. Threat actors continue to refine phishing tactics, enhance malware loader obfuscation techniques and exploit vulnerabilities in remote workforce technologies.
In light of these developments, the overarching strategic risk to large European organisations is expected to remain high. Threat groups—be they LockBit, Clop or others—are responding swiftly to evolving defences. Consequently, sustaining a strong security posture demands consistent investment in vulnerability scanning, network visibility, incident response rehearsals and staff awareness training. The trend of double extortion also shows few signs of abating, placing further emphasis on robust data governance practices, including encryption at rest and consistent data backups tested for reliability and restore speed.
Overall, by tracking the methods of known threat actors and embedding rigorous security protocols into their operations, retail organisations, and indeed all large enterprises in the UK and Europe, can reduce their exposure to ransomware and other cyberattacks. This requires constant vigilance, timely patching, industry collaboration and frequent intelligence-sharing across trusted networks. Stakeholders should continue to follow best-practice guidelines from organisations like the UK’s NCSC, CISA and reputable threat intelligence providers. A more comprehensive breakdown of threat group profiles can be accessed at Cyber Defence Threat Intelligence, where ongoing analysis is published in line with emerging incidents.
