More than 300 Spar stores in the UK have been hit by a cyberattack that has forced many shops to close their doors. The attack has caused a ‘total IT outage’ which prevents staff from taking card payments and has locked them out of email systems. 

Ransomware is a year-round concern, but it becomes especially detrimental during the holiday season when many retailers are processing more transactions than any other time. The Spar attack demonstrates a specific type of ransomware trend we’re seeing more frequently, called killware. It’s intentionally deployed at a critical time for the business, meant to disrupt central operations and inflict maximum damage. 

The Spar attack is the first cyber incident of the season, but definitely will not be the last as attackers look to capitalize on the holiday season – a time of year when retailers will be most impacted.