DSIT Releases Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026

The survey assesses the prevalence and impact of cyber breaches and attacks on UK businesses, charities and educational institutions, alongside organisations’ cyber security policies and processes.

Key insights include:

➡️ Ongoing Cyber Threats: 43% of businesses and 28% of charities reported experiencing a cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months;

➡️ Phishing Remains Dominant: Phishing attacks continue to be the most common type of breach or attack experienced by organisations;

➡️Exposure to threats: Medium and large businesses are more likely to identify breaches or attacks compared with smaller organisations;

➡️ High-priority level: Cyber-security was considered a “high-priority” for senior management in 72% of surveyed businesses;

➡️ Incident Response Preparedness: A minority of organisations maintain formal cyber incident response plans despite persistent attack levels; and

➡️ Supply Chain Risks: The survey highlights continued concern around vulnerabilities arising from third-party suppliers and wider digital supply chains.

✅ Firms should review cyber governance arrangements, phishing controls, incident response capabilities and third-party risk management frameworks to strengthen operational resilience against evolving cyber threats.