Survey Finds Retail Security Teams Adopt AI While Cybersecurity Strategies Lag
Summary
A survey of retail security teams finds widespread AI adoption alongside concern about file-based attacks and gaps in security strategies and defenses ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Key points
- The survey covered 500 senior cybersecurity professionals in the U.S., including 76 from retail and eCommerce organizations with 1,000 or more employees; interviews took place in April 2025.
- 54% of retail respondents viewed file-based attacks as a moderate or critical threat, and 53% were concerned about weaponized files in local or cloud storage.
- 95% said their teams had deployed AI-powered security capabilities; respondents reported an average 13 hours saved per week.
- 72% reported having a dedicated group monitoring AI outputs, while 51% said they had implemented AI-specific defenses.
- Despite those measures, 24% said their cybersecurity strategy had not changed in the past year to replace outdated tools.
- 74% said their organizations were placing greater focus on endpoint detection and response than in 2024.
Article Details
- Publisher
- Deep Instinct
- Scope
- Retail and eCommerce findings from the sixth Voice of SecOps Report, covering seven industries. Survey participants worked at companies with 1000+ employees in the U.S.
- Sample Size
- 500 senior cybersecurity experts surveyed by Sapio Research, including 76 from retail and eCommerce companies.
- Key Statistics
- 54% of retail security teams considered file-based attacks a moderate or critical threat; 53% were concerned about weaponized files uploaded to local or cloud storage.
- 95% of retail respondents had deployed AI-powered security capabilities and reported saving an average of 13 hours per week, compared with 11.5 hours across industries.
- 72% of retail security teams had a dedicated group actively monitoring AI outputs; the remainder reported at least some oversight.
- 51% of retail security teams had implemented AI-specific defenses, while 24% reported that their organization's cybersecurity strategy had not changed to replace outdated, ineffective security tools over the past year.
- 74% of retail respondents said their organization was focusing more on endpoint detection and response this year compared with 2024.
- Recommendations
- Move beyond reliance on reactive endpoint detection and response toward preemptive data security that blocks threats before damage occurs.
- Replace outdated security tools and rethink preventive defenses rather than adding AI controls to outdated tools and playbooks.
Countries
Industries
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