Most retail companies have been forced to pay with ransomware, survey finds

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 11. 04. 11:48

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The majority of retail companies have already been forced to pay with ransomware and are increasingly becoming victims of cybercrime – Sophos told MTI on Tuesday.

According to a survey by the security software and hardware manufacturer, 55 percent of them in Hungary and 58 percent worldwide have been forced to pay ransom following a ransomware attack. The amount is increasing, and the average worldwide has reached $1 million, according to the statement. Hungarian respondents identified limited internal expertise in 43 percent of incidents, 41 percent identified a lack of protection coverage as a shortcoming, and every second one believes that IT security training and external expert support would have reduced their risks.

They added that Sophos experts have identified almost 90 ransomware groups, but retail companies are often unable to assess their digital exposure. Online sales, mobile payments, online POS systems, and cloud-based logistics solutions all represent new attack surfaces.

Investing in protection is now an unavoidable business requirement, not just an option, and Hungarian businesses operate in the same risk environment as their foreign counterparts. For security, they recommend, among other things, regular software updates, device reviews, modern virus protection, constant monitoring and data backup.

The survey was conducted between January and March in 16 countries. The feedback comes from IT managers of 361 retail companies, the statement reads.