The Cyber Crime Surge in the UK: Why It’s Time to Act

Cyber-attacks in the UK are rising at a startling pace and no business is immune. Whether you’re a start-up or a household brand, the cost of cyber crime is hitting harder and more often, than ever before.

Over 43% of UK businesses reported at least one cyber security breach in the past 12 months, climbing to 74% for large businesses and 70% for mid-sized firms. (UK Government Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025)

It’s not just the big names in the headlines:

• Marks & Spencer: Hit by ransomware, costing an estimated £300 million in lost online sales and disruption.
• British Library: Forced to rebuild systems from scratch after a 600GB data leak.
• SMEs: Facing a collective £3.4 billion annual loss to hackers (Vodafone UK).

If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone, including SMEs without the resource to bounce back.

It’s Not If, But When – And Most Aren’t Ready

The scale of attacks is expanding:

• 200+ major national incidents reported in the past year alone.
• Ransomware attacks up by over 70%, with ransom demands averaging $5.2 million.
• 84% of breaches in the UK involve phishing, highlighting the need for end-user vigilance and layered protection.

Cyber crime isn’t just growing – it’s been industrialised. Attackers are using AI, automation and global ransomware-as-a-service operations. Defenders need to move just as fast and with more intelligence.

Introducing Threat Protect: Smart Security Backed by Global Experts

Threat Protect is RDS’s advanced cyber defence offering, designed to help UK businesses detect, respond and recover from cyber threats in real time.

It’s not just a tool, it’s a fully managed cyber security service, delivered with global technology partners and local 24/7 support from the team at RDS.

Key Capabilities of Threat Protect

Threat Intelligence

We don’t just wait for alerts. Threat Protect is fuelled by global cyber intelligence feeds, detecting emerging threats, zero-day vulnerabilities and suspicious behaviour before it becomes a breach.

Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR)

We protect every laptop, server and cloud endpoint with real-time monitoring, behavioural analysis and automated response, ensuring threats are shut down swiftly and silently.

Incident Response Workflows

In the event of a breach, every second counts. Threat Protect includes robust IR workflows, automated containment, forensic investigation and guided recovery, minimising downtime and reputational risk.

24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC)

Our UK-based SOC provides always-on protection. Every alert is triaged by skilled analysts, so nothing slips through the cracks.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

• The average cost of a cyber attack for an SME is £7,960 and rising.
• The longer a breach goes undetected, the higher the cost: £1.3 million on average for late-discovered ransomware.
• Even reputational damage is quantifiable – 52% of UK businesses reported lost customer trust after a cyber incident.

It’s a risk most businesses can’t afford, but many don’t realise it until it’s too late.

Ready to Take Cyber Seriously?

Whether you need to plug security gaps, mature your cyber posture, or just want peace of mind that someone’s watching your back 24/7 – Threat Protect from RDS is ready to help.

Let’s start a conversation.

Our cyber consultants are here to listen, assess your risks and build a tailored protection plan that scales with your needs.

Cyber crime isn’t slowing down but with Threat Protect, your business doesn’t have to either.