{ "question": "What percentage of UK businesses had a cyber attack?", "answer": "43% of UK businesses, about 612,000 firms, identified a cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months, according to the government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 (DSIT, fieldwork August to December 2025). That is unchanged from 2024/2025 and down from 50% in 2023/2024. Large firms report far more: 69%, against 42% of micro businesses.", "period": "Aug-Dec 2025", "key_numbers": [ { "value": "43%", "label": "UK businesses that identified a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, about 612,000 firms", "note": "DSIT Cyber Security Breaches Survey, fieldwork Aug-Dec 2025", "stat": "cybersecurity/uk-businesses-with-breach-or-attack" }, { "value": "69%", "label": "Large UK businesses (250+ staff) that identified a breach or attack", "note": "DSIT, Aug-Dec 2025", "stat": "cybersecurity/uk-large-businesses-with-breach-or-attack" }, { "value": "42%", "label": "UK micro businesses (1 to 9 staff) that identified a breach or attack", "note": "DSIT, Aug-Dec 2025", "stat": "cybersecurity/uk-micro-businesses-with-breach-or-attack" }, { "value": "28%", "label": "UK registered charities that identified a breach or attack", "note": "DSIT, Aug-Dec 2025" }, { "value": "38%", "label": "UK businesses hit by phishing, by far the most common type", "note": "DSIT, Aug-Dec 2025" }, { "value": "19%", "label": "UK businesses that were victims of at least one cyber crime", "note": "DSIT, Aug-Dec 2025" } ], "tables": [ { "id": "by-size", "title": "UK businesses that identified a breach or attack in the last 12 months, by size", "columns": [ "Business size", "2025/2026", "2024/2025" ], "rows": [ [ "Micro (1 to 9 staff)", "42%", "41%" ], [ "Small (10 to 49 staff)", "46%", "50%" ], [ "Medium (50 to 249 staff)", "65%", "67%" ], [ "Large (250+ staff)", "69%", "74%" ], [ "All businesses", "43%", "43%" ] ], "row_ids": [ "size-micro", "size-small", "size-medium", "size-large", "size-all" ], "note": "Bases 2025/2026: 1,154 micro, 507 small, 296 medium and 155 large businesses; 2,112 overall. In 2023/2024, 70% of medium and 74% of large businesses identified a breach or attack (50% overall); that release does not give micro and small in its text.", "source": "uk-csbs" }, { "id": "by-type", "title": "Types of breach or attack in the last 12 months, share of all UK businesses and charities (2025/2026)", "columns": [ "Type", "Businesses", "Charities" ], "rows": [ [ "Phishing attacks", "38%", "25%" ], [ "People impersonating the organisation or staff in emails or online", "12%", "7%" ], [ "Devices targeted with malware (viruses or spyware)", "7%", "3%" ], [ "Hacking or attempted hacking of online bank accounts", "3%", "1%" ], [ "Denial of service attacks", "3%", "1%" ], [ "Takeovers or attempts to take over website, social media or email accounts", "2%", "1%" ], [ "Devices targeted with ransomware", "1%", "1%" ], [ "Unauthorised access to files or networks by staff, even if accidental", "1%", "1%" ] ], "row_ids": [ "type-phishing", "type-impersonation", "type-malware", "type-bank-hacking", "type-denial-of-service", "type-account-takeover", "type-ransomware", "type-staff-access" ], "note": "Among businesses that identified any breach or attack, 88% had phishing. Ransomware fell from 3% of businesses in 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 to 1%. Bases: 2,112 businesses, 1,085 charities.", "source": "uk-csbs" }, { "id": "by-sector", "title": "UK businesses that identified a breach or attack in the last 12 months, by sector (2025/2026)", "columns": [ "Sector", "Identified a breach or attack" ], "rows": [ [ "Information and communication", "63%" ], [ "Professional, scientific or technical", "54%" ], [ "Utilities or production", "49%" ], [ "Administration or real estate", "48%" ], [ "Construction", "45%" ], [ "Transport or storage", "45%" ], [ "Finance or insurance", "44%" ], [ "Entertainment or service", "42%" ], [ "Agriculture, forestry or fishing", "36%" ], [ "Health or social care", "33%" ], [ "Food or hospitality", "33%" ], [ "Retail or wholesale", "31%" ], [ "Businesses overall", "43%" ] ], "row_ids": [ "sector-information", "sector-professional", "sector-utilities", "sector-administration", "sector-construction", "sector-transport", "sector-finance", "sector-entertainment", "sector-agriculture", "sector-health", "sector-food", "sector-retail", "sector-all" ], "note": "Some sector samples are small (69 agriculture and 81 information and communication businesses). Only information and communication and professional, scientific or technical were significantly above the overall figure.", "source": "uk-csbs" }, { "id": "charities", "title": "UK charities that identified a breach or attack in the last 12 months, by annual income", "columns": [ "Charity income", "2025/2026", "2024/2025" ], "rows": [ [ "Low (under £100,000)", "22%", "24%" ], [ "Medium (£100,000 to £499,999)", "39%", "42%" ], [ "High (£500,000 or more)", "57%", "64%" ], [ "All charities", "28%", "30%" ] ], "row_ids": [ "charity-low", "charity-medium", "charity-high", "charity-all" ], "note": "In 2023/2024, 66% of high-income charities and 32% of all charities identified a breach or attack.", "source": "uk-csbs" }, { "id": "history", "title": "UK organisations that identified a breach or attack, every comparable survey", "columns": [ "Survey (fieldwork)", "Businesses", "Estimated businesses", "Charities", "Businesses that were victims of cyber crime" ], "rows": [ [ "2023/2024 (Sep 2023 to Jan 2024)", "50%", "About 718,000", "32%", "22%" ], [ "2024/2025 (Aug to Dec 2024)", "43%", "About 612,000", "30%", "20%" ], [ "2025/2026 (Aug to Dec 2025)", "43%", "About 612,000", "28%", "19%" ] ], "note": "The question on breaches and attacks was reworded in 2023/2024, so DSIT says results can only be compared with 2023/2024 onwards. Each survey is named for the year it is published; fieldwork runs at the end of the year before.", "source": "uk-csbs" } ], "sources": [ { "name": "Cyber Security Breaches Survey", "publisher": "UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)", "type": "official", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/" } ], "content_changed_on": "2026-10-31", "page_url": "https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/cybersecurity/uk-cyber-attacks-businesses", "csv_url": "https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/cybersecurity/uk-cyber-attacks-businesses.csv" }