The shopping season is just around the corner: Black Friday, Christmas, and a year-end period that represents 30–40% of annual revenue for many companies. This time should be an opportunity—not a security concern. But if you manage an e-commerce platform or depend on online sales, you know a cyberattack can turn these critical weeks into complete chaos.
At TecnetOne, we see it all the time: companies head into November focused solely on their commercial strategy while ignoring cybersecurity. The result? One attack can take down their store, block payments, hijack systems, or leave customers unable to buy. The financial and reputational impact is devastating.
This article breaks down how a cyberattack can freeze your sales—and, more importantly, how you can prevent that nightmare during peak demand.
Ransomware: The Threat That Can Freeze Your E-Commerce
Ransomware has gone mainstream. With the rise of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), even low-skilled cybercriminals can subscribe and launch professional-grade attacks on businesses of all sizes.
Affected companies often suffer customer data theft or file encryption. But things escalate when core operations are disrupted—inventory systems, payment gateways, or the e-commerce site itself.
Just weeks ago, Muji had to shut down its e-commerce store after its provider Askul was hit. Before the shutdown, customers couldn’t even check orders or complete payments. And this wasn’t an isolated incident: an attack on Marks & Spencer caused 46 days of downtime—right when millions were buying summer clothing.
Wondering how much a day of downtime costs? M&S alone estimated losses of £3.8 million per day.
DDoS and RDDoS Attacks: Total Collapse During Key Campaigns
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks don’t steal data—they aim to take you offline. They flood your servers with fake traffic until your site becomes unreachable.
Now imagine that happening on Black Friday.
Then there’s Ransom DDoS (RDDoS)—a combo of service outage and extortion. The message is clear: “Pay up, or your website stays down.”
This happens more often than you think. Cybercriminals love November and December because they know that companies are more willing to pay during high-stakes sales periods.
Black Friday and Christmas: The Perfect Time for Extortion
During Black Friday 2024, IKEA’s franchise in Greece and Romania (Fourlis) saw its e-commerce platform completely collapse after a security incident. Orders were delayed, and online options were wiped out during one of the most profitable times of the year.
Why do attackers target e-commerce in November and December?
Because the pressure is higher. A few hours offline can mean millions in lost sales. That’s why ransom demands spike in value during this period.
But paying the ransom is never recommended. Experts warn that doing so fuels the criminal ecosystem—and there’s no guarantee you’ll get your data or website back.
Read more: Black Friday 2025: Guide to Buying Tech Without Falling for Scams
The Financial Impact: Lost Millions and a Competitive Disadvantage
British retail giant Co-op lost £60 million after a cyberattack impacted their sales directly. And here’s the worst part: while you’re down, your competitors thrive.
During M&S’s downtime, Next, Zara, and H&M saw their sales increase. In such a cutthroat market, losing a few weeks can mean losing your customers for good.
A cyberattack doesn’t just hit your revenue—it can permanently shift your position in the market.
SMEs Are Also at Risk—And More Vulnerable Than Ever
Think this only happens to retail giants? Think again. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are frequent targets because they typically:
- Invest little in cybersecurity
- Lack digital risk training at the leadership level
- Have low security awareness
- Use weak infrastructure
- Employ untrained staff vulnerable to phishing and social engineering
Worse still, SMEs often take 200+ days to detect an attack. That gives intruders time to move laterally, steal data, install backdoors, and prepare for larger disruptions.
For many SMEs, a single cyberattack could mean bankruptcy.
Consumer Trust Is Declining
After the cyberattacks on M&S, Co-op, and Harrods, a UK survey found:
- 1 in 3 consumers aged 16–44 plan to reduce online shopping
- Many prefer physical stores to “feel safer”
That’s alarming. When your store goes down or customer data is exposed, you lose more than money—you lose trust. And trust is harder to recover than any lost server.
How to Prevent an Attack That Disrupts Your E-Commerce
If you want to avoid being the next victim, you need a solid cybersecurity strategy. At TecnetOne, we recommend combining:
- Continuous web security audits
- Structured vulnerability management
- Social engineering simulations
- Controlled DoS testing
- Advanced pentesting
- Red Team exercises (ideal for large enterprises)
You might also be interested in: Avoid Digital Scams this Buen Fin and Black Friday 2025
Fast Incident Response Can Save You Weeks of Lost Sales
Prevention is essential, but response is just as critical. A proactive incident response service can be the difference between recovery in hours—or weeks offline.
That’s why you need to prepare with:
- Readiness assessments
- Compromise assessments
- Threat simulations
- Threat intelligence analysis
- A robust, updated incident response plan
Only then can you respond fast and contain the damage before it spreads.
Conclusion
Today more than ever, your e-commerce platform is the heart of your business—and one of the top targets for cybercriminals. If an attack hits during peak season, the financial, competitive, and reputational damage could haunt you for years.
So as you prepare your sales campaigns, don’t forget to prepare your cybersecurity defenses. At TecnetOne, we see this every day: businesses that are prepared suffer less, recover faster, and protect their digital future.
Cybersecurity is not a cost—it’s the best investment to keep your online sales running without interruption.
