Cyber Attack Surges During Black Friday

Did you know that 44 percent of retailers report a significantly higher volume of cyber attacks and 34 percent experienced a breach in the last 12 months? As this year’s Black Friday approaches, retail owners with both onsite and online operations face unique vulnerabilities that make them prime targets. At 1Wire, we’re committed to helping you understand how cyber attack surges impact your business and how to stay resilient.

Key Takeaways

• Retailers face a significant surge in cyber attacks around Black Friday.

• Onsite vulnerabilities include POS systems, in-store networks, IoT devices, and employee access points.

• Online risks include DDoS attacks, credential theft, e-commerce fraud, API exploits, and third-party plugin weaknesses.

• AI-driven threats and deepfake attacks are growing quickly.

• Many organizations are improving cybersecurity alignment, but preparation gaps remain.

• Investment in application security, AI detection, and broad resilience planning is essential.

What you need to know about cyber attack surges during Black Friday

Retailers face a wave of fast-evolving cyber risks driven by AI, supply chain weaknesses, and heavy consumer demand. Many businesses are aware of the threats, yet fewer are equipped to respond effectively. This means retailers face sophisticated cyber threats that target both physical store networks and digital sales channels, but many have not aligned their teams, processes, or technologies to handle them.

For Utah’s smaller enterprises, the picture is even more concerning. Only 17% of SMBs have cyber insurance, and many only seek coverage after experiencing an attack, when it is often too late.

Why the threat spikes on Black Friday

Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. That rush exposes both your brick-and-mortar systems and online platforms to higher risk. Attackers know that retailers are stretched thin, distracted by traffic spikes, and dependent on multiple systems staying up.

Here are the major drivers:

• Onsite vulnerabilities: POS systems, Wi-Fi networks, security cameras, employee devices, inventory scanners, and even HVAC systems can become entry points. Older equipment or unpatched hardware creates easy access for attackers.

• Online vulnerabilities: E-commerce platforms, payment gateways, third-party plugins, APIs, and customer accounts are heavily targeted. High traffic increases the likelihood of DDoS attempts, credential stuffing, and checkout fraud.

• Retailers adopting AI-powered recommendation tools and customer analytics are expanding their attack surface.

• Third-party marketplace and platform integrations create supply chain risk. Many retailers report little visibility into their software dependencies.

• Rapid launches of new revenue streams, like re-commerce or seasonal websites, often ship without proper security review.

• Sophisticated threats such as deepfakes, synthetic identities, and AI-generated phishing and phishing continue to rise.

Where retailers stand and what’s being done

Some progress is being made:

• More than half of retail leaders say cybersecurity teams are becoming integrated with business operations.

• Leadership performance metrics increasingly include cybersecurity responsibility.

• Many organizations are working toward better alignment between business risk and cybersecurity strategy.

• Company-wide cybersecurity culture is improving, but still not where it needs to be.

Top investment priorities include:

• Application security

• Enterprise-wide resilience processes

• AI tools that detect social engineering attempts

• Machine learning tools that identify abnormal patterns

Why this matters for your business

A breach during high-visibility Black Friday shopping can disrupt transactions, halt in-store operations, expose customer data, and damage long-term trust. Onsite systems, like POS terminals and internal networks, may be just as vulnerable as your online store.

This isn’t only an IT issue. It’s an operational, financial, and brand reputation issue.

What to do next

To prepare for the surge:

1. Audit your onsite infrastructure: POS, internal networks, IoT devices, vendor hardware, and employee devices.

2. Review your online systems: e-commerce platforms, integrations, payment flows, authentication methods, and hosting.

3. Evaluate your supply chain visibility. Understand every third-party system touching your operations.

4. Test your readiness against modern threats, including AI-generated phishing and deepfake scams.

5. Strengthen company-wide cybersecurity awareness.

6. Build resilience into your business strategy and ensure leadership understands the stakes.

FAQs

Why are cyber attacks more common on Black Friday?

Because retailers operate under heavy pressure, high traffic, and increased system dependencies. Attackers take advantage of overloaded teams and exposed systems.

What types of attacks are most common?

AI-powered phishing, checkout fraud, DDoS attacks, supply chain breaches, account takeovers, deepfake scams, and POS system compromises.

How can I make my business more insurable?

Implementing strong cybersecurity practices like employee training, network optimization, and failover internet can reduce your risk profile and improve eligibility.

How prepared are most retailers?

Many acknowledge the risks but lack preparation for modern threats, especially AI-driven attacks.

What should I prioritize first?

Application security, resilience planning, AI/ML detection tools, and visibility across your software supply chain.

How can I improve my onsite security?

Start with a full assessment of POS systems, Wi-Fi, IoT devices, vendor access, and internal network segmentation.