23.03.26

Serious cyber-attacks rise by 129% in 12 months – the threat to all businesses is very real

During the last year, significant cyber-attacks in the UK rose by an alarming 129%, with the National Cyber Security Centre handling around four major incidents every week. According to insurance experts, Everywhen*, these attacks are a major threat to the business sector.

Neil D’Mello, Everywhen’s Client Director (South Division) comments: “Cyber risk affects every level of society, from governments protecting essential services and businesses navigating fluctuating markets and supply chain delays, through to organisations fighting to keep their operations running. These high stakes were evident in recent large-scale cyber-attacks, which had major consequences.”

Real-world impact

After the 2025 cyber-attack on M&S, the retailer’s market capitalisation fell by around £1 billion, and customer data was allegedly stolen. This resulted in collective legal action, as people began seeking compensation for their compromised data. Last year, Jaguar Land Rover also reported a £485 million pre‑tax loss for the quarter versus a £398 million profit, a year earlier, after being forced to shut down networks and halt highly automated production lines for weeks. This event was widely described as the costliest cyber-attack in UK history, with an estimated £1.9 billion economic impact and considerable supply chain disruption.

Neil D’Mello, continues: “One of the biggest issues to come out of these attacks is how supply chains, particularly for SMEs, were impacted. When something on this scale occurs, having the right advice and protection in place is key to preventing and mitigating losses.

“These types of cyber outages can break a business, even when they’re not the initial target. Cyber policies that include legal defence, PR and interruption cover aren’t optional, they are an essential part of a forward thinking and grounded defence strategy.”

What’s being done about cybercrime?

As the frequency and severity of cyber-attacks rises, so does the Government’s determination to tackle them. A dedicated Cyber Action Plan has been announced and the Government has committed £210 million to strengthening public services against cyber threats.  Ultimately, this plan sets a new overall standard for security and accountability, raising expectations for every organisation connected to government services but what about the private sector?

For SME’s, the focus has to be on cyber insurance solutions that can usually provide coverage that includes threat alerts and proactive insight, access to cyber security tools and expert advice as well as cover for legal defence, PR costs, loss or damage, and business interruption.

Businesses need to think carefully about how damaging a large-scale attack would be to their future. 

Information provided by Everywhen with a contribution from Lisa Langley, Cert CII, Team Leader, Professional Risks, Cox Mahon Ltd, part of the Ardonagh Group.

*Everywhen is a UK-based specialist insurance broker offering personal, business, and health insurance, combining local expertise with national scale. Everywhen is the UK SME platform of The Ardonagh Group, one of the world’s largest independent insurance distribution platforms and a top 20 global broker. Ardonagh is a collection of best-in-class entrepreneurial and specialist brands with a combined workforce of over 12,000 colleagues and a network spanning 200+ locations in more than 30 countries.