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.
The government has surveyed UK businesses and charities to find out how they approach cyber security and gain insight into the cyber security issues faced by organisations. The research informs government policy on cyber security and how government works with industry to make the UK one of the most secure places to do business online.
You can read the press notice here.
Published
24 March 2021
Period covered
Respondents were asked about their approach to cyber security and any breaches or attacks over the 12 months before the interview. Main survey interviews took place between October and December 20209. Qualitative follow up interviews took place in January and February 2021.
Geographic coverage
UK
Further Information
The survey is part of the government’s National Cyber Security Strategy. Cyber security guidance and information for businesses, including details of free training and support, can be found on the National Cyber Security Centre website.
The survey was carried out by Ipsos MORI.
The UK Statistics Authority
This release is published in accordance with the https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/" class="govuk-link">Code of Practice for Statistics (2018), as produced by the UK Statistics Authority. The UKSA has the overall objective of promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good. It monitors and reports on all official statistics, and promotes good practice in this area.
Pre-release access
The document above contains a list of ministers and officials who have received privileged early access to this release. In line with best practice, the list has been kept to a minimum and those given access for briefing purposes had a maximum of 24 hours.
Contact information
The responsible analyst for this release is Emma Johns. For any queries please contact 07990 602870 or cyber.survey@dcms.gov.uk.
For any queries relating to official statistics please contact evidence@dcms.gov.uk.
For media enquiries only (24 hours) please contact the press office on 020 7211 2210.
The government has surveyed UK businesses, charities and educational institutions to find out how they approach cyber security and gain insight into the cyber security issues they face. The research informs government policy on cyber security and how government works with industry to build a prosperous and resilient digital UK.
19 April 2023
Respondents were asked about their approach to cyber security and any breaches or attacks over the 12 months before the interview. Main survey interviews took place between October 2022 and January 2023. Qualitative follow up interviews took place in December 2022 and January 2023.
UK
The survey is part of the government’s National Cyber Strategy 2002.
There is a wide range of free government cyber security guidance and information for businesses, including details of free online training and support.
The survey was carried out by Ipsos UK. The report has been produced by Ipsos on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
This release is published in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics (2018), as produced by the UK Statistics Authority. The UKSA has the overall objective of promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good. It monitors and reports on all official statistics, and promotes good practice in this area.
The document above contains a list of ministers and officials who have received privileged early access to this release. In line with best practice, the list has been kept to a minimum and those given access for briefing purposes had a maximum of 24 hours.
The Lead Analyst for this release is Emma Johns. For any queries please contact cybersurveys@dsit.gov.uk.
For media enquiries only, please contact the press office on 020 7215 1000.
The Government has surveyed UK businesses and charities to find out they approach cyber security and help them learn more about the cyber security issues faced by industry. The research informs Government policy on cyber security and how Government works with industry to make Britain one of the most secure places to do business online.
25 April 2018
Respondents were asked about their approach to cyber security and any breaches or attacks over the 12 months before the interview. Main survey interviews took place between October and December 2017. Qualitative follow up interviews took place in January and February 2018.
UK
The survey is part of the Government’s National Cyber Security Programme.
Cyber security guidance and information for businesses, including details of free training and support, can be found on the National Cyber Security Centre website and GOV.UK at: http://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance" class="govuk-link">www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance and www.gov.uk.
The survey was carried out by Ipsos MORI and its partner, the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS) at the University of Portsmouth.
This release is published in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics (2009), as produced by the UK Statistics Authority. The UKSA has the overall objective of promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good. It monitors and reports on all official statistics, and promotes good practice in this area.
The document above contains a list of ministers and officials who have received privileged early access to this release. In line with best practice, the list has been kept to a minimum and those given access for briefing purposes had a maximum of 24 hours.
The responsible statistician for this release is Rishi Vaidya. For any queries please contact 020 7211 2320 or evidence@culture.gov.uk.
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.
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.
https://sqmagazine.co.uk/privacy-policy/https://sqmagazine.co.uk/privacy-policy/
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...
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 2019 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). Please note that the UK Data Service only holds data from 2018 onwards.
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.
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey, (CSBS) is run to understand organisations' approaches and attitudes to cyber security, and to understand their experience of cyber security breaches.. The aim of the survey is to support the Government by providing evidence that can inform policies which help to make Britain a safer place to do business online.
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 DCMS as part of the government's £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy 2022 to protect and promote the UK in cyber space.
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 datasets on each specific year from 2018 onwards.
Cyber Security Breaches Survey: Combined Dataset, 2016-2022 includes data from 2016 to 2022. This is cross-sectional data only and not all variables are included in all years. For longitudinal data, please access the Cyber Security Longitudinal Survey: Wave 1, 2021 (available from the UK Data Archive under SN 8969) and onwards.
Further information and additional publications can be found on the GOV.UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey webpage.
The Government has surveyed UK businesses to find out they approach cyber security and help them learn more about the cyber security issues faced by industry. The research informs Government policy on cyber security and how Government works with industry to make Britain one of the most secure places to do business online.
19 April 2017
Respondents were asked about their approach to cyber security and any breaches or attacks over the 12 months before the interview. Main survey interviews took place between 24 October 2016 and 11 January 2017. Qualitative follow up interviews took place in January and February 2017.
UK
The survey is part of the Government’s National Cyber Security Programme.
Cyber security guidance and information for businesses, including details of free training and support, can be found on the National Cyber Security Centre website and GOV.UK at: http://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance" class="govuk-link">www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance and www.gov.uk.
The survey was carried out by Ipsos MORI and its partner, the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS) at the University of Portsmouth.
This release is published in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics (2009), as produced by the UK Statistics Authority. The UKSA has the overall objective of promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good. It monitors and reports on all official statistics, and promotes good practice in this area.
The document above contains a list of ministers and officials who have received privileged early access to this release. In line with best practice, the list has been kept to a minimum and those given access for briefing purposes had a maximum of 24 hours.
The responsible statistician for this release is Olivia Christophersen. For any queries please contact 020 7211 2377 or evidence@culture.gov.uk.
The annual reports of the Cyber Security Breaches Survey can be found on the Cyber Security Breaches Survey collection page.
Geographic coverage: UK.
If you would like any further information please contact statistics@dsit.gov.uk.
Date published | Ad hoc detail | Data tables |
---|---|---|
January 2024 | Cyber security practices among organisations who do/ do not adhere to Cyber Essentials |
Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 2024 (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 2024 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 2024 web page. Main Topics: Organisational cyber security, views, experiences and behaviours of organisations (UK businesses, charities and educational institutions) on cyber security and cyber security breaches. Multi-stage stratified random sample
Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 2021 (CSBS) was run to understand organisations' approaches and attitudes to cyber security, and to understand their experience of cyber security breaches, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 2021 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 DCMS 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, 2021 webpage. Main Topics: Views, experiences and behaviours of organisations (UK businesses and charities) on cyber security and cyber security breaches. Multi-stage stratified random sample
In 2022, ********* of respondents from the United Kingdom (UK) stated that their organization lost between 100,000 British pounds and ******* British pounds as a result of a breach. These numbers are reported at a time during which cyberattacks are on the rise. As malicious actors use more sophisticated technology to advance the complexity of their attacks, businesses must respond by better securing their IT.
Security breaches incurred by individuals
https://sqmagazine.co.uk/privacy-policy/https://sqmagazine.co.uk/privacy-policy/
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...
Open Government Licence 3.0http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
License information was derived automatically
The number and type of information security breaches affecting UK businesses in 2012. Based on a survey of 1,402 UK businesses, carried out in four separate questionnaires.
https://www.datainsightsmarket.com/privacy-policyhttps://www.datainsightsmarket.com/privacy-policy
The size of the Cyber Security Insurance in UK Market was valued at USD XX Million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD XXX Million by 2032, with an expected CAGR of 8.00% during the forecast period. Cyber security insurance in the UK market refers to specialized insurance products designed to protect businesses from the financial repercussions of cyberattacks and data breaches. As digital transformation accelerates and cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, organizations are recognizing the importance of safeguarding their assets and data. Cyber security insurance provides coverage for a range of risks, including data loss, business interruption, cyber extortion, and liability for third-party claims arising from data breaches. The UK cyber insurance market has witnessed significant growth, driven by rising awareness of cyber risks among businesses and the increasing regulatory requirements for data protection, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Insurers offer tailored policies that typically include coverage for incident response costs, legal expenses, regulatory fines, and public relations efforts to mitigate reputational damage after a cyber incident. Moreover, many insurers provide risk management services, helping organizations identify vulnerabilities and implement best practices to enhance their cyber resilience. 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: Complexity and Lack of Understanding, Cost of Coverage. Notable trends are: Impact of Cyber Insurance Policy Coverage.
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.
Range of data - cross compliance breaches passed to Rural Development Schemes to determine whether or not to apply reductions to Pillar 2 payments
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.