Every day in December, we’ve been taking a look back at some of our favorite content of 2025. For the 24th and final window, I’m revisiting one of the most popular community meetups of the year.

Decoding the May Retail Cyber Onslaught

In June, we hosted a fireside chat between two Immersive cyber experts: Max Vetter, VP of Cyber,​ and Kev Breen, Senior Director of Cyber Threat Research.

Max and Kev discussed one of the most significant cyber events of 2025: the cyberattacks that impacted major UK brands like Marks & Spencer and Co-Op.

The session exposed the inner workings of ransomware cartels, including DragonForce, which operates a “ransomware-as-a-service” model, and Scattered Spider, an English-speaking threat group notorious for highly effective social engineering tactics. 

Why this event?

There were several great community meetups this year, but this one was the most memorable. 

It was brilliant to get expert insight into a high-profile cyber incident as it unfolded, and fascinating to explore how threat groups like Scattered Spider exploit human vulnerabilities to bypass robust security measures.

It was also one of the first community meetups I organized and the first community event I filmed – you can watch the full video here.

A big thank you to everyone who attended one of our events or participated in the Immersive community this year – I look forward to seeing you in 2026!