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Cyber attacks cost £14.7 billion a year, or 0.5% of UK GDP

ended 12. November 2025

Independent research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology has found that the average cost of a significant cyber attack for an individual business in the UK is almost £195,000. Scaling this to an annual UK cost generates an estimate of £14.7 billion, equivalent to 0.5% of UK GDP.  

The highest average costs are estimated to flow from some of the UK’s strongest and most competitive sectors, including the information (£337,000), management (£334,000), entertainment (£331,000), manufacturing (£330,000) and financial (£309,000) sectors. Full report here. 

Questions for Newspagers:

  • How can UK businesses better protect themselves against cyber attacks?
  • Is the problem going to get worse as technologies (and perhaps AI) evolve?
  • Should businesses expect greater protections from the Government or is it on their shoulders to protect themselves?

1 responses from the Newspage community

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Colette Mason
AI Ethics Consultant at Clever Clogs AI
For protection, don't overcomplicate cybersecurity. The NCSC's Cyber Essentials is the playbook. Its 5 basic controls are proven to block ~80% of common attacks when applied properly. You're losing money if you're ignoring this clear guidance. Old school email phishing is still the most common attack at 65-70%. Train staff not to click on dubious links.

In terms of AI, the battlefield has changed to a cyber arms race. Attackers use AI for perfect phishing emails and convicing deepfake CEO calls. Human-speed teams can’t detect and respond fast enough to machine-speed attacks without automated defence support. Defensive AI on networks is essential.

Stop using "shared responsibility" with the state as an excuse. The government isn't your IT helpdesk. It protects national infrastructure, not your P&L. The legal and fiduciary duty is 100% yours. The Cyber Bill exists for one reason: voluntary accountability failed. Business leaders left gaps, so the government is closing them by law.