As of January 2025, the most significant data breach incident in the United Kingdom (UK) was the 2017-2018 Dixons Carphone breach. As a result of this incident, 14 million user records were affected, and 5.6 million payment card information was exposed. The Equifax data breach between 2011 and 2016 impacted over 15 million customers nationwide.

As of January 2024, about ** percent of organizations in the United Kingdom reported experiencing a data breach accident once a month. A further ** percent said they had encountered a data breach event less than once a month in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, ** percent said they had experienced a data breach incident once a week.

It started with a strange email. The kind you usually ignore. But for one midsize healthcare firm in Ohio, clicking that link changed everything. Within hours, sensitive patient records were encrypted, and hackers demanded payment in cryptocurrency. By the time IT figured out the breach, over 1.4 million records were...

During the fourth quarter of 2024, data breaches exposed more than a million user data records in the United Kingdom (UK). The figure decreased significantly from nearly 41 million in the quarter prior. Overall, the time between the first quarter of 2022 and the fourth quarter of 2023, saw the lowest number of exposed user data accounts.

As of 2024, the average data breach cost in the United Kingdom (UK) was around **** million U.S. dollars. In the measured period, 2022 registered the highest cost for breached data, more than five million U.S. dollars. The figure, thus, has increased from *** million U.S. dollars since 2020.

A survey conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) from September 2023 to January 2024 found that around 13 percent of businesses that had identified a data breach incident or a cyberattack in the preceding 12 months had seen at least one outcome after the incident. The most common were the situations where the website or online services were taken down or made slower and the temporary loss of access to files or networks.

This statistic displays the share of businesses that have had cyber security braches or attacks in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019. Among all respondents, ** percent had breaches in the past 12 months. With respect to business size, ** percent of small firms experienced cyber security breaches in the past 12 months.Concerning the size of businesses, micro businesses had *** to **** employees, small businesses had ** to ** employees, medium businesses had ** to *** employees and large businesses had *** employees or more. On the other hand, there were many types of cyber security breaches experienced by businesses in the past 12 months such as malware.

The largest reported data leakage as of January 2025 was the Cam4 data breach in March 2020, which exposed more than 10 billion data records. The second-largest data breach in history so far, the Yahoo data breach, occurred in 2013. The company initially reported about one billion exposed data records, but after an investigation, the company updated the number, revealing that three billion accounts were affected. The National Public Data Breach was announced in August 2024. The incident became public when personally identifiable information of individuals became available for sale on the dark web. Overall, the security professionals estimate the leakage of nearly three billion personal records. The next significant data leakage was the March 2018 security breach of India's national ID database, Aadhaar, with over 1.1 billion records exposed. This included biometric information such as identification numbers and fingerprint scans, which could be used to open bank accounts and receive financial aid, among other government services.

Cybercrime - the dark side of digitalization As the world continues its journey into the digital age, corporations and governments across the globe have been increasing their reliance on technology to collect, analyze and store personal data. This, in turn, has led to a rise in the number of cyber crimes, ranging from minor breaches to global-scale attacks impacting billions of users – such as in the case of Yahoo. Within the U.S. alone, 1802 cases of data compromise were reported in 2022. This was a marked increase from the 447 cases reported a decade prior. The high price of data protection As of 2022, the average cost of a single data breach across all industries worldwide stood at around 4.35 million U.S. dollars. This was found to be most costly in the healthcare sector, with each leak reported to have cost the affected party a hefty 10.1 million U.S. dollars. The financial segment followed closely behind. Here, each breach resulted in a loss of approximately 6 million U.S. dollars - 1.5 million more than the global average.

In January 2025, a small fintech startup in Austin discovered it had fallen victim to a cyberattack. At first glance, the breach looked like a typical case of credential stuffing. But it wasn’t. The attacker had used an AI-driven system that mimicked the behavioral patterns of employees, learning login habits,...

As of January 2025, the most significant data privacy violation fine worldwide was for social media giant Meta. In May 2023, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) of Ireland decided to fine the company with 1.2 billion euros or 1.3 billion U.S. dollars. The Chinese vehicle-for rent company Didi Global ranked second. In July 2022, China's data privacy regulator fined the company 8.026 billion Chinese yuan, or 1.19 billion U.S. dollars. The 2021 Amazon fine issued by Luxembourg's data privacy regulation authorities was 877 million U.S. dollars and was the third-biggest data breach fine as of the measured month. The 2019 fine of 575 million U.S. dollars to Equifax followed. In this incident, because of unpatched vulnerabilities, nearly 150 million people were affected, which caused the American consumer credit reporting agency to pay at least 575 million U.S. dollars.

This dataset contains publicly available records of data security incidents reported to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The original data has been split into each year on each sheet of the main excel document, as well as into each individual .CSV file for ease of working.

The figures reported here are based on the number of reports of personal data breaches received by the ICO up to Q3 2024. Please note that the data is presented in calendar years and quarters, following the Office for National Statistics style for non-financial data releases.

Note: some reports hold multiple characteristics for some of the categories of data and as such appear on multiple rows – this may make it appear as if there are more breaches reported than is actually the case.

Year, Quarter – When the incident occurred. Data Subject Type – Affected individuals (e.g., employees, customers). Data Type – The type of compromised data (e.g., financial, medical). Decision Taken – Regulatory actions or penalties imposed. Incident Category & Type – The nature of the breach (e.g., unauthorized access, ransomware). No. Data Subjects Affected – The scale of the breach. Sector – Industry of the affected organization. Time Taken to Report – How long it took to report the breach.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

As of January 2024, around 58 percent of large companies in the United Kingdom (UK) had experienced cybercrime within the past year. Medium businesses ranked second, with 45 percent of companies experiencing cybercrime. Overall, about 22 percent of UK businesses stated having experienced any form of cybercrime in the preceding year.

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 2020 was run to understand organisations' approaches and attitudes to cyber security, and to understand their experience of cyber security breaches. Its aim was to support the Government by providing evidence that can inform policies which help to make Britain a safer place to do business online.

The data have been collected annually since 2016 to understand the views of UK organisations on cyber security. Data is collected on topics including online use; attitudes of organisations to cyber security and awareness of Government initiatives; approaches to cyber security (including investment and processes); incidences and impact of a cyber security breach or attack; and how breaches are dealt with by the organisation. This information helps to inform Government policy towards organisations, including how best to target key messages to businesses and charities so that they are cyber secure (and so that the UK is the safest place in the world to do business online). The study is funded by the Cabinet Office as part of the National Cyber Security Programme.

The underlying data are useful for researchers to better understand the response across a range of organisations (rather than averages) and for wider comparability over time. The survey originally only covered businesses but was expanded to include charities from the 2018 survey onwards. From 2020, the survey includes a sample of education institutions (primary and secondary schools, further and higher education). Please note that the UK Data Service only holds data from 2018 onwards.

Further information and additional publications can be found on the GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2020">Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 2020 webpage.

In the early hours of January 3, 2025, a mid-sized financial firm in Ohio discovered something chilling: over 1.2 terabytes of client data had been quietly siphoned off over the holidays. The attackers left no ransom demand, no calling card, just a system-wide silence and a massive void in customer...

A survey conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) between August and December 2024, found that ** percent of companies needed additional staff time to deal with the breach or inform cutomers or stakeholders. Furthermore, ** percent of the companies needed to implement new measures for future attacks. Additionally, ** percent said the incident stopped the staff from carrying out daily work.

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 2023 (CSBS) was run to understand organisations' approaches and attitudes to cyber security, and to understand their experience of cyber security breaches. The aim of the survey was to support the Government by providing evidence that can inform policies which help to make Britain a safer place to do business online. Details of changes for the 2023 survey can be found in the Technical Annex documentation.

These surveys have been conducted annually since 2016 to understand the views of UK organisations on cyber security. Data are collected on topics including online use; attitudes of organisations to cyber security and awareness of Government initiatives; approaches to cyber security (including investment and processes); incidences and impact of a cyber security breach or attack; and how breaches are dealt with by the organisation. This information helps to inform Government policy towards organisations, including how best to target key messages to businesses and charities so that they are cyber secure (and so that the UK is the safest place in the world to do business online). The study is funded by the DSIT as part of the National Cyber Security Programme.

The underlying data are useful for researchers to better understand the response across a range of organisations and for wider comparability over time. The survey originally only covered businesses but was expanded to include charities from the 2018 survey onwards. From 2020, the survey includes a sample of education institutions (primary and secondary schools, further and higher education). Please note that the UK Data Service only holds data from 2018 onwards.

Further information and additional publications can be found on the GOV.UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2023 webpage.

Latest Edition Information
For the second edition (August 2023), the data file has been updated to correct an error with the variable COUNTRY. In the earlier version, some non-charity data had been mistakenly mapped to a country in this variable, which refers to charities sampled only. These respondents have now been recoded as -1 (missing).

The UK cybersecurity insurance market, a segment within the broader global market valued at $1.35 billion in 2025 with a 13.40% CAGR, is experiencing robust growth driven by escalating cyber threats targeting businesses of all sizes. Increased frequency and severity of ransomware attacks, data breaches, and compliance failures are compelling organizations to prioritize cyber risk mitigation, fueling demand for comprehensive insurance coverage. The market is segmented by product type (packaged and standalone policies) and application type (banking & financial services, IT & telecom, healthcare, retail, and others). Major players like AIG, Allianz, Beazley, Hiscox, and Marsh dominate the landscape, offering a range of solutions tailored to specific industry needs. The UK market benefits from a sophisticated regulatory environment and a high level of digital adoption, further propelling insurance uptake. However, challenges remain, including the complexity of assessing and pricing cyber risks, a lack of standardized policies, and the potential for significant payouts in the event of major breaches. Given the global CAGR of 13.40% and the UK's prominent position in the global financial and technological sectors, the UK market is likely to experience growth exceeding the global average. Specific growth drivers for the UK include strong government initiatives promoting cybersecurity awareness and regulations like the GDPR, which increase the liability of companies failing to protect data. The rise of cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) also contributes to increased vulnerabilities and higher insurance demand. The market's segmentation reflects the varied risk profiles across different sectors. For instance, the financial services sector will likely show higher insurance penetration due to stricter regulatory requirements and greater exposure to financial crimes. The competitive landscape indicates considerable investment and innovation in product development and risk management techniques, leading to more specialized and effective insurance solutions. Recent developments include: September 2023: Cowbell is committed to addressing cyber risk challenges on a global scale, and our expansion into the UK is a testament to this. Cowbell Prime One is tailored towards SME and mid-market customers and allows brokers to customize cyber policies for different risk exposures, such as email scams, ransomware, and social engineering., March 2023: Cyber insurance provider Coalition is set to enter the excess cyber insurance market in the United Kingdom to help protect businesses with enhanced coverage. The firm has confirmed that it will extend its reach to provide full-follow form coverage and protection of up to GBP 10 million (USD 12126000) above a primary layer of insurance from another insurer for both cyber and technology professional indemnity (PI) lines.. Key drivers for this market are: Data Privacy Regulations, Business Interruption. Potential restraints include: Data Privacy Regulations, Business Interruption. Notable trends are: Impact of Cyber Insurance Policy Coverage.

The UK Data Center Physical Security Market is booming, projected to reach £89.48 million in 2025 with a 15.10% CAGR. Discover key trends, drivers, and restraints shaping this rapidly evolving sector, including insights into leading companies and market segmentation. Learn more about video surveillance, access control, and other crucial security solutions. Recent developments include: February 2024: In the latest release of the Axis operating system, AXIS OS and Axis Communications AB, it was announced that more than 200 network devices, including cameras, intercoms, and 11.8 audio speakers, are supported by the IEEE MAC 802.1sec security standard. Demonstrating the company's continued commitment to device and data security, Axis has become the first manufacturer of physical safety products supporting MACsec Media Access Control Security., October 2023: Zwipe partnered with Schneider Electric’s Security Solutions Group. The French-based multinational Schneider Electric plans to introduce the Zwipe Access fingerprint-scanning smart card to its clientele. This card will be integrated with Schneider Electric’s Continuum and Security Expert platforms, serving a client base from sectors, including airports, transportation, healthcare, and data centers.. Key drivers for this market are: Increasing Demand of Clolud Computing Capabilities Drives the Market Growth, Increase Security Concerns in the Market Drives the Market Growth. Potential restraints include: Increasing Demand of Clolud Computing Capabilities Drives the Market Growth, Increase Security Concerns in the Market Drives the Market Growth. Notable trends are: Video Surveillance is Anticipated to be the Largest Segment.