How much does a cyber attack cost a UK business?

Where the figures come from

Each year the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology asks UK businesses about breaches and attacks. Businesses estimate their own costs, so the figures come from the people affected.

Why there are two averages

Many businesses said their worst breach cost them nothing. Those count in the first average and pull it down. The second leaves them out, so it shows the cost when a breach did cost money.

Average cost of a business's most disruptive breach in a year, UK, 2025. Source: DSIT, 2025

How likely a breach is

In the same survey, 43% of UK businesses had a breach or attack last year. For them, the most disruptive one cost £1,600 on average. Xevrion's Security part shows both figures next to your score, as national averages.

What an average hides

An average says nothing about the worst case. One bad breach can cost far more, and some harm, such as lost trust, is hard to put a price on. The cheapest way to lower the risk is to stop the most common attacks: two-step sign-in, staff who spot fake emails, tested backups and a short plan for when things go wrong.