Experts call for action as cyberthreats impacts millions of UK citizens, stressing the need for advanced cybersecurity.

A freedom of information request to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) revealed a surge of 8,000% in financial data breaches between 2019 and 2023 in the UK government. This surge raises concerns of a “potential crisis” for public cybersecurity as 195 million have been impacted in 2023, according to the freedom of information request.

AJ Thompson, chief commercial officer at IT consultancy Northdoor plc, comments, “Tougher enforcement is key - the ICO must consider stronger oversight instead of its current 'soft' approach to compel the public sector to take this threat more seriously."

While not every breach warrants direct action, the volume of these data breaches is a rising concern for an epidemic of cyber-vulnerability within the government. Data breaches harm the cybersecurity of the public with the risk of their information being released or sold.

Thompson shares that city councils need to update their cybersecurity and failure to do so can allow cybercriminals to take advantage of outdated technology. This emphasises the need to increase dedication to security. Thompson suggests using third-party IT consultants to aid local governments in managing detection responses, risk assessment, cloud monitoring and security awareness training.