Pam Lindemoen, Chief Security Officer, RH-ISAC
Cybersecurity has moved far beyond being just a technical issue — it is now a core business priority that directly impacts customer trust, operational resilience and the bottom line.
We sit down with two industry leaders on the front lines of digital risk: Pam Lindemoen, chief security officer and vice president of strategy at the Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and Christian Beckner, vice president of retail technology and cybersecurity at the National Retail Federation.
Together, they unpack the fast-changing cybersecurity landscape facing retailers today, from fraud and social engineering to the new challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
Retailers across the globe are grappling with increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. With fraud schemes targeting gift cards and advanced threat groups like Scattered Spider, cybercriminals are leveraging social engineering and third-party vulnerabilities to breach even the strongest systems. Lindemoen and Beckner emphasize that these threats are too complex for any one company to tackle alone. Retailers must work collaboratively to safeguard consumers and protect the sector as a whole — collectively sharing intelligence, insights and best practices.
Artificial intelligence has quickly emerged as both a tool and a threat in the cybersecurity conversation. Attackers are now able to clone voices, mimic speech patterns and deploy AI-driven scams to trick front-line workers and IT help desks into granting access. These capabilities make fraud detection harder for the human eye and demand new approaches to training and awareness across retail organizations. AI risk management is no longer optional; it must be integrated into every company’s cybersecurity strategy.
Despite razor-thin margins, retailers are investing more heavily in cybersecurity than ever before. Teams that once numbered in the single digits now include dozens of specialists, with larger companies deploying entire departments dedicated to digital defense. According to RH-ISAC’s benchmark report, many organizations have doubled their cybersecurity budgets since 2019. Importantly, the focus is shifting from compliance checkboxes to proactive business resilience. That means not only defending against attacks but ensuring continuity of service when incidents occur.
RH-ISAC and NRF continue to deepen their collaboration, creating common frameworks for fraud prevention and advocating for policies that support information sharing across the sector. Both organizations offer councils, working groups and events that bring together cybersecurity leaders from competing companies to share knowledge in a trusted environment. RH-ISAC offers workshops, webinars and conferences, many of which are open to professionals from across consumer-facing industries.
(00:00:00) Building a united front in retail cybersecurity
Why RH-ISAC was created to share threat intelligence across industries
How retailers collaborate without fear of competition
The role of NRF and RH-ISAC in strengthening partnerships
Why working together protects the entire retail sector
(00:04:52) Strengthening trust and evolving partnerships
Why consumer trust depends on united cybersecurity efforts
The rising importance of fraud defense in retail
Why cybersecurity is no longer just a technical issue
(00:08:00) Rising threats in retail cybersecurity
How groups like Scattered Spider target retailers
The growing risks from third-party cyber incidents
How AI deepfakes amplify social engineering attacks
(00:12:54) Investing in resilience and readiness
How retailers are expanding cybersecurity teams and budgets
Why omnichannel operations require omnichannel security
Key insights from RH-ISAC’s latest benchmark report
(00:17:02) Looking ahead: cooperation and global expansion
How NRF and RH-ISAC are building a common fraud taxonomy
Why reauthorizing cybersecurity legislation matters for retail
RH-ISAC’s plans to expand globally and strengthen resilience
Ways retailers and cyber leaders can get involved today
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