Joy Agwunobi
The global retail and e-commerce industry is heading into 2026 under growing pressure from evolving cyber threats, privacy risks and increasingly sophisticated fraud tactics, according to new insights from Kaspersky, a cybersecurity firm.
As digital shopping becomes more conversational, visual and AI-driven, the sector is also expanding its exposure to data misuse, ransomware and large-scale phishing attacks.
Kaspersky’s latest outlook suggests that while innovations such as chatbots, AI shopping assistants and image-based product search are improving customer experience, they are also reshaping the threat landscape in ways many retailers may not yet be fully prepared for.
One of the major shifts expected in 2026 is the rise of chatbots as a primary tool for product discovery across online marketplaces. Unlike traditional keyword searches, conversational interfaces encourage shoppers to provide richer and more detailed information about their preferences, budgets and personal needs. While this makes shopping more intuitive, it also creates new privacy challenges.
According to Kaspersky, chatbot interaction logs may soon become as sensitive as transaction records, as they reveal personal habits, constraints and behavioural patterns. The accumulation of such data increases the risk of over-collection, misuse or exposure, especially if platforms fail to apply strict data governance standards.
Commenting on this trend, Anna Larkina, web data and privacy analysis expert at Kaspersky, noted that online search behaviour is already undergoing a fundamental transformation.
“Search itself is changing, including how people look for products online. In 2025, there was a gradual shift from simple keyword queries to more conversational and visual ways of finding what to buy. As these models rely on broader user input, careful handling of the data involved will remain an important consideration for maintaining user trust,” she said.
Beyond chatbots, changes in global tax regimes and cross-border trade rules are also expected to introduce new opportunities for cybercriminals. Kaspersky warns that adjustments in import duties, VAT systems and international pricing structures could be exploited in phishing campaigns and fake online stores. Fraudsters may lure consumers with unrealistically low prices or claims of bypassing new fees, particularly targeting small and mid-sized retailers that may lack strong verification systems.
As pricing rules continue to evolve across markets, consumer vigilance may drop, making such schemes more effective, especially during periods of economic uncertainty.
Another emerging concern is the growing presence of AI-powered shopping assistants operating outside traditional retail platforms. These tools are increasingly embedded in browsers, mobile apps and third-party services, allowing users to compare prices and discover products across multiple sites. While convenient, this development shifts data collection beyond the direct control of retailers.
To function effectively, external AI agents often require continuous access to browsing activity, search intent, location context and product interactions. Kaspersky notes that this could lead to the creation of detailed behavioral profiles outside both user awareness and retailer oversight, increasing the risks of opaque data usage, over-collection and unintended exposure.
Privacy risks are also expected to intensify with the wider adoption of image-based product search. Previously, user images in e-commerce were largely limited to voluntary uploads in product reviews. However, as visual search becomes a standard shopping feature, uploading photos is likely to become routine.
While image-based search improves accuracy and discovery, it also introduces new risks. User-submitted images may unintentionally capture faces, home environments or sensitive information such as names, phone numbers or addresses visible on packaging or shipping labels. Kaspersky stresses that secure processing, data minimisation and limited retention will become critical requirements for retailers adopting these tools.
These forward-looking concerns are grounded in an already challenging cybersecurity environment. In 2025, the retail and e-commerce sector remained a prime target for cybercriminals. Kaspersky data shows that 14.41 percent of users in the retail sector encountered web-based threats, while 22.20 percent were affected by on-device attacks.
Ransomware, in particular, continues to pose a serious risk. Last year, 8.25 percent of retail and e-commerce companies experienced ransomware incidents. More significantly, the number of unique B2B users in the sector affected by ransomware detections rose by 152 percent compared to 2023, pointing to a sharp escalation in targeted attacks against businesses.
Phishing also remained a dominant threat vector. Kaspersky recorded 6.7 million phishing attacks targeting users of online stores, delivery services and payment systems in 2025. More than half of these attacks, accounting for 50.58 percent, were aimed directly at online stores, highlighting the sector’s attractiveness to fraudsters seeking payment data and personal information.
A closer look at 2025 reveals how persistent and adaptive these threats have become. One notable trend was the spread of malicious applications masquerading as legitimate food delivery or shopping apps. Kaspersky observed cases where users downloaded apps from official app stores, only to have their data and financial credentials compromised, underscoring that platform legitimacy alone no longer guarantees safety.
Ransomware activity in the B2B retail sector was also driven largely by a single dominant actor. Between November 2024 and October 2025, ransomware detections rose sharply due to the spread of the Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Dcryptor family. This trojanised ransomware variant abuses the legitimate DiskCryptor utility to encrypt disk partitions, making it particularly disruptive for retail operations.
Phishing activity remained consistently high throughout the year. From November 2024 to October 2025, Kaspersky products blocked over 6.65 million attempts to access phishing links. Of these, 50.58 percent targeted online shoppers, 27.3 percent impersonated payment systems and 22.12 percent targeted delivery service users.
Seasonal shopping periods continued to work in attackers’ favour. Major sales campaigns and promotional seasons lowered user vigilance, allowing phishing and spam messages to blend seamlessly with legitimate marketing communications and increasing their success rates.
In response to these risks, Kaspersky has urged consumers to adopt a more cautious and proactive approach to online shopping. Users are advised to limit the personal information they share, avoid uploading sensitive images, and remain sceptical of unsolicited discounts or order notifications. Regular monitoring of bank transactions and prompt action on suspicious activity are also recommended.
For businesses, the company stresses the importance of strengthening corporate infrastructure against phishing, ransomware and data theft. This includes deploying advanced threat detection tools, real-time monitoring and, where internal expertise is limited, adopting managed security services to cover the full incident response cycle.
As retail and e-commerce continue to evolve in 2026, Kaspersky’s analysis suggests that cybersecurity and privacy considerations will no longer be peripheral concerns. Instead, they are becoming central to consumer trust, business resilience and the long-term sustainability of digital commerce.
