“Early detection of supply chain vulnerabilities is vital to minimising the impact of such breaches.
“These events are highly disruptive and stressful for everyone involved in restoring systems and resuming operations. They serve as a further reminder to reassess your IT resilience.
“While third-party vendors are essential to supply chain efficiency, it’s important to ask the following questions: Do they have the right security controls in place? Can you detect system infiltration early enough to contain the damage? Are your incident response plans ready to activate and restore business continuity at speed?
“With its complex global networks, the automotive industry remains a high-value target for cyberattacks.
“Continued investment in third-party risk and resilience audits, real-time monitoring and rapid response strategies is essential to contain threats and recover swiftly, ensuring operational integrity and customer trust.”
The rise in cyber attacks on household names
In 2025, there has been a marked rise in cyber attacks on leading household brands, revealing the vulnerabilities of even well-resourced global companies.
High-profile retailers including M&S, Co-op, Harrods, Adidas and Pandora have all faced disruptive incidents ranging from ransomware infections to unauthorised system intrusions, causing operational shutdowns, large-scale data breaches and heavy financial losses.
M&S, for example, suffered an estimated £300 million (US$402 million) profit hit as a result of a month-long cyber attack, which disrupted fashion, home and food divisions.
The breach forced the suspension of online orders, emptied store shelves, disrupted supply chains, added significant operating costs and damaged customer trust through stolen data.
Similarly, the Co-op was hit by an attempted ransomware attack that triggered system shutdowns across 2,300 outlets, interrupting supply chains and exposing sensitive member information.
Harrods, meanwhile, averted a major breach but was forced to restrict internet use and proactively disable certain systems as a precaution.
Experts note that attacks of this scale are frequently tied to advanced hacking groups employing tactics such as phishing and social engineering, often exploiting weaknesses within third-party vendors.
The incidents also underline the extent to which modern business operations are interdependent and digitally integrated, meaning a single disruption can cascade into far-reaching consequences.
Industry specialists stress that these events reinforce the critical need for strong cyber defences, rigorous vendor risk oversight and rapid incident response strategies to protect customer data and ensure business continuity.
Shankar Haridas, Head of UKI at ManageEngine, says: “These back-to-back security incidents, especially on major global brands, is definitely a matter of concern.
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