Blue Yonder, a critical retail software provider, suffered a devastating **ransomware attack** during the peak 2025 holiday shopping season, crippling operations for major global brands including **Starbucks, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons**. The attack exploited vulnerabilities in Blue Yonder’s systems, disrupting supply chain logistics, inventory management, and point-of-sale (POS) operations for its clients. With retailers already under extreme pressure from Black Friday and Cyber Monday demand, the incident forced prolonged downtime, leading to **millions in lost sales per hour** for affected businesses. The breach highlighted the cascading risks of third-party vendor compromises, where a single weak link in the digital supply chain triggered **widespread operational paralysis**. Payment processing, order fulfillment, and customer service functions were severely impaired, eroding consumer trust and brand reputation. Given the attack’s timing—during the most lucrative retail period—cybercriminals leveraged the urgency to maximize disruption, likely demanding ransoms exceeding **$2 million**, consistent with 2025’s doubled median ransom figures. The incident underscored how attackers exploit **seasonal IT strain, phishing surges (up 692% in 2024), and unpatched vulnerabilities** to infiltrate critical systems. For Blue Yonder’s clients, the fallout extended beyond financial losses to **long-term reputational damage**, as customers faced fraud risks, delayed deliveries, and service outages during a high-stakes shopping window.
Source: https://gbhackers.com/ransomware-attacks-2/
Blue Yonder cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/blueyonder
"id": "BLU0632106112125",
"linkid": "blueyonder",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "6/2024",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'retail (home goods, apparel)',
'location': 'Japan',
'name': 'Muji',
'type': 'retailer'},
{'industry': 'supply chain/logistics',
'location': 'Japan',
'name': 'Askul',
'type': 'logistics provider'},
{'customers_affected': ['Starbucks',
'Sainsbury’s',
'Morrisons'],
'industry': 'retail technology',
'location': 'UK',
'name': 'Blue Yonder',
'type': 'software provider'},
{'industry': 'food/beverage',
'location': 'global',
'name': 'Starbucks',
'type': 'retailer'},
{'industry': 'grocery/supermarket',
'location': 'UK',
'name': 'Sainsbury’s',
'type': 'retailer'},
{'industry': 'grocery/supermarket',
'location': 'UK',
'name': 'Morrisons',
'type': 'retailer'}],
'attack_vector': ['phishing (holiday-themed emails)',
'credential harvesting',
'automated bots',
'unknown security gaps (misconfigurations, vulnerabilities)',
'supply chain compromise',
'lateral movement'],
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': 'yes (ransomware)',
'data_exfiltration': 'likely (for dark web sales)'},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-11-01',
'description': 'The holiday shopping season (Black Friday, Cyber Monday) in '
'2025 saw a significant rise in cyber threats targeting the '
'retail sector. Ransomware demands in retail reached a median '
'of $2 million (nearly double from 2024), while phishing '
'attacks surged by 692% in November 2024. High-profile '
'incidents included Muji (Japan) suspending online sales due '
'to a ransomware attack on its logistics partner, Askul, and a '
'ransomware attack on Blue Yonder (UK) disrupting operations '
'for Starbucks, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons. Attack vectors '
'included phishing, credential harvesting, automated bots (for '
'credential stuffing, gift card abuse, and API exploitation), '
'and exploitation of unknown security gaps (misconfigurations, '
'overlooked vulnerabilities). Threat actors leveraged the '
'operational chaos of peak shopping periods to maximize '
'pressure for ransom payments, exploiting supply chain '
'vulnerabilities and overwhelmed IT teams.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'severe (long-term damage, months to '
'rebuild trust)',
'conversion_rate_impact': 'high (due to downtime during peak '
'shopping)',
'downtime': ['Muji: online sales suspension',
'Blue Yonder: disruption for Starbucks, Sainsbury’s, '
'Morrisons'],
'operational_impact': ['fulfillment delays',
'supply chain disruptions',
'transaction processing failures',
'increased IT workload'],
'payment_information_risk': 'high (targeted via phishing and '
'credential stuffing)',
'revenue_loss': 'millions per hour of downtime',
'systems_affected': ['e-commerce platforms',
'logistics/fulfillment systems',
'supply chain software (e.g., Blue Yonder)',
'in-store digital systems']},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': 'likely (exfiltrated '
'credentials, PII, or '
'payment data)',
'entry_point': ['phishing emails',
'credential stuffing via bots',
'supply chain vulnerabilities'],
'high_value_targets': ['e-commerce platforms',
'logistics systems',
'payment processing'],
'reconnaissance_period': 'likely months (to '
'identify weak links in '
'supply chain)'},
'investigation_status': 'ongoing (trend analysis)',
'lessons_learned': ['Retailers must secure their digital supply chain, as a '
'single weak link (e.g., logistics partner or software '
'provider) can disrupt operations.',
'Peak shopping seasons (Black Friday, Cyber Monday) are '
'high-risk periods due to overwhelmed IT teams, high '
'transaction volumes, and operational urgency.',
'Phishing and automated bots (credential stuffing, API '
'exploitation) are dominant attack vectors during '
'holidays.',
'Ransomware demands and phishing attacks spike '
'dramatically during peak seasons, with attackers '
'exploiting operational chaos.',
'Reactive strategies are insufficient; preemptive '
'defenses (e.g., advanced endpoint protection, deception '
'technologies, comprehensive visibility) are critical.'],
'motivation': ['financial gain (ransom payments)',
'operational disruption',
'data exfiltration for dark web sales'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Adopt preemptive security '
'measures (e.g., advanced '
'endpoint protection, '
'network segmentation).',
'Conduct supply chain risk '
'assessments and enforce '
'security standards for '
'vendors.',
'Implement 24/7 monitoring '
'during peak seasons with '
'AI-driven anomaly '
'detection.',
'Regularly test incident '
'response plans with '
'holiday-specific '
'scenarios.',
'Invest in employee '
'training for phishing and '
'social engineering '
'tactics.'],
'root_causes': ['Unknown security gaps '
'(misconfigurations, '
'vulnerabilities) in retail and '
'supply chain systems.',
'Overwhelmed IT teams during peak '
'seasons, leading to delayed '
'patching or monitoring.',
'Lack of preemptive defenses '
'(e.g., deception tech, endpoint '
'protection).',
'Supply chain vulnerabilities '
'(e.g., compromised vendors like '
'Askul or Blue Yonder).',
'High success rate of '
'holiday-themed phishing and '
'automated bot attacks.']},
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': 'yes',
'data_exfiltration': 'likely',
'ransom_demanded': '$2 million (median for retail sector in '
'2025)'},
'recommendations': ['Shift from reactive to preemptive defense strategies to '
'prevent attacks before execution.',
'Implement advanced endpoint protection and deception '
'technologies.',
'Ensure comprehensive visibility across all digital '
'touchpoints, including supply chain partners.',
'Deploy adaptive behavioral WAFs, on-demand scrubbing '
'services, and network segmentation.',
'Enhance monitoring during peak seasons to detect '
'anomalies amid legitimate traffic spikes.',
'Secure vendor integrations and third-party software to '
'mitigate supply chain risks.',
'Train employees on holiday-themed phishing and '
'credential harvesting tactics.',
'Test incident response plans *before* peak seasons to '
'avoid operational disruptions.'],
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-11-01', 'source': 'Darktrace'}],
'response': {'adaptive_behavioral_waf': 'recommended (preemptive measure)',
'enhanced_monitoring': 'recommended (preemptive measure)',
'network_segmentation': 'recommended (preemptive measure)',
'on_demand_scrubbing_services': 'recommended (preemptive '
'measure)'},
'title': '2025 Holiday Shopping Season Cyber Threats and Ransomware Trends in '
'Retail',
'type': ['ransomware',
'phishing',
'supply chain attack',
'credential stuffing',
'API exploitation'],
'vulnerability_exploited': ['unknown security gaps',
'misconfigurations',
'overlooked vulnerabilities',
'weak supply chain links']}