NCSC Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey is an influential research study for Britain's cyber resilience, aligning with the National Cyber Strategy. 

Now in its sixth consecutive year, the cyber security breaches survey is a government research study for UK cyber resilience. 

The study explores the policies, processes, and approaches to cyber security for businesses, charities, and educational institutions. 

It also considers the different cyber attacks these organisations face, as well as how these organisations are impacted and respond.

Cyber Attacks

The survey results show that in the last 12 months, 39% of UK businesses identified a cyber attack, remaining consistent with previous years of the survey.  However, we also find that enhanced cyber security leads to higher identification of attacks, suggesting that less cyber mature organisations in this space may be under reporting.

Proportion of UK businesses identifying cyber attacks each year
2017    2018    2019    2020    2021    2022
   46%      43%       32%       46%      39%       39%

Attack Type

Of the 39% of UK businesses who identified an attack, the most common threat vector was phishing attempts (83%). Of the 39%, around one in five (21%) identified a more sophisticated attack type such as a denial of service, malware, or ransomware attack. Despite its low prevalence, organisations cited ransomware as a major threat, with 56% of businesses having a policy not to pay ransoms.

Frequency & Impact

Within the group of organisations reporting cyber attacks, 31% of businesses and 26% of charities estimate they were attacked at least once a week. One in five businesses (20%) and charities (19%) say they experienced a negative outcome as a direct consequence of a cyber attack, while one third of businesses (35%) and almost four in ten charities (38%) experienced at least one negative impact.

Cost Of Attacks

Looking at organisations reporting a material outcome, such as loss of money or data, gives an average estimated cost of all cyber attacks in the last 12 months of £4,200. Considering only medium and large businesses; the figure rises to £19,400. We acknowledge the lack of framework for financial impacts of cyber attacks may lead to underreporting.

Cyber Hygiene

The NCSC guidance 10 Steps to Cyber Security breaks down the task of protecting an organisation into 10 key components.  The survey finds 49% of businesses and 40% of charities have acted in at least five of these 10 areas. In particular, access management surveyed most favourably, while supply chain security was the least favourable.

Board Engagement

Around four in five (82%) of boards or senior management within UK businesses rate cyber security as a ‘very high’ or ‘fairly high’ priority, an increase on 77% in 2021. 72% in charities rate cyber security as a ‘very high’ or ‘fairly high’ priority. Additionally, 50% of businesses and 42% of charities say they update the board on cyber security matters at least quarterly.

Size Differential

Larger organisations are correlated throughout the survey with enhanced cyber security, likely as a consequence of increased funding and expertise. For large businesses’ cyber security; 80% update the board at least quarterly, 63% conducted a risk assessment, and 61% carried out staff training; compared with 50%, 33% and 17% respectively for all businesses.

Risk Management

Just over half of businesses (54%) have acted in the past 12 months to identify cyber security risks, including a range of actions, where security monitoring tools (35%) were the most common. Qualitative interviews however found that limited board understanding meant the risk was often passed on to; outsourced cyber providers, insurance companies, or an internal cyber colleague.

Proportion of UK businesses acting to identify cyber risks each year
2017    2018    2019    2020    2021    2022
  57%      56%     62%      64%      52%       54%

Out-Sourcing & Supply Chain

Small, medium, and large businesses outsource their IT and cyber security to an external supplier 58%, 55%, and 60% of the time respectively, with organisations citing access to greater expertise, resources, and standard for cyber security. 

Consequently, only 13% of businesses assessed the risks posed by their immediate suppliers, with organisations saying that cyber security was not an important factor in the procurement process.

Incident Management

Incident management policy is limited with only 19% of businesses having a formal incident response plan, while 39% have assigned roles should an incident occur. In contrast, businesses show a clear reactive approach when breaches occur, with 84% of businesses saying they would inform the board, while 73% would make an assessment of the attack.

External Engagement

Outside of working with external cyber security providers, organisations most keenly engage with insurers, where 43% of businesses have an insurance policy that cover cyber risks. On the other hand, only 6% of businesses have the Cyber Essentials certification and 1% have Cyber Essentials plus, which is largely due to relatively low awareness.

NCSC:    Gov.UK:    Gov.UK:   Gov.UK:   Law Society:    IPSOS:     DAC Beechcroft: 

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