In this episode of the Cyber Focus podcast, recorded on April 30 at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, host Frank Cilluffo sits down with Christian Beckner, Vice President of Retail Technology and Cybersecurity at the National Retail Federation. Beckner provides a wide-ranging look at how cybersecurity, fraud, and emerging technologies are reshaping the retail landscape. They discuss how threats have evolved over the past decade, the growing impact of third-party risk, and the rise of fraud tactics such as account takeovers and gift card abuse. Beckner also outlines NRF’s policy work on CIRCIA, the SEC cyber disclosure rule, and the organization’s efforts to build stronger cross-sector collaboration. The conversation offers both a strategic overview and practical insight into one of the nation’s most targeted and complex sectors.

Main Topics Covered:

• The role of NRF and its focus on retail cybersecurity
• How threats to the sector have evolved over the past 7 years
• Growing concerns around third-party and vendor risk
• The surge in fraud, including account takeover and gift card abuse
• NRF’s development of a fraud taxonomy for the industry
• How AI is shaping both threats and defenses
• NRF’s cyber policy priorities and hopes for increased CISA engagement
• Long-term risks and opportunities for strengthening retail cybersecurity

Key Quotes:

“Retail is a huge part of the economy. It’s something that touches every person every day, and that’s what makes it such an important piece of the overall cybersecurity landscape.” — Christian Beckner

“We’re seeing an increase in account takeover fraud, gift card fraud, return fraud… It’s often hard to draw the line between what’s a fraud issue and what’s a cyber issue.” — Christian Beckner

“We’re building a taxonomy for fraud. And that’s critical, because right now, we’re all speaking different languages when we talk about these incidents.” — Christian Beckner

Relevant Links and Resources:

• National Retail Federation (NRF)
• NRF Center for Digital Risk & Innovation

Guest Bio: Christian Beckner is Vice President of Retail Technology and Cybersecurity at the National Retail Federation and Executive Director of NRF’s Center for Digital Risk & Innovation. He leads the association’s efforts on cybersecurity, fraud prevention, and emerging technologies. Before joining NRF, Beckner was Deputy Director of the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University and served in senior roles on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He holds degrees from Stanford University and Georgetown University.