Cyber incidents

What it is

Be Ready explains that smartphones, computers and the internet are now so much a part of life that it is hard to imagine functioning without them, from banking and shopping to email and social media. Cyber security is about protecting the devices we use, smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers, and the services we access online and at work, from theft or damage. It is also about preventing unauthorised access to the personal information stored on devices and online.

What it does to a home

An incident in the home means a stolen account, a locked or wiped device, or data gone. Be Ready's advice comes in three parts. Secure your accounts, email first, because passkeys are more secure than passwords and easier to use; where passwords remain, make them strong and unique and add 2-step verification; a password manager creates and stores them, fills them on websites, syncs across devices and can warn of a breach. Secure your devices, by installing updates, turning automatic updates on, and replacing anything no longer supported. Secure your data, by knowing where it lives, backing up photos and files, protecting the backup as you protect your accounts, and practising a restore occasionally so you know it works.

An incident at a provider reaches the home as a service that stops. The phone and broadband outages page covers getting through to 999 when networks fail.

Who warns you

Nobody, ahead of time. The National Cyber Security Centre publishes advice to protect you, your family and the technology you rely on. If you think you have been a victim of cyber crime, Be Ready says to visit Report Fraud, the police service at reportfraud.police.uk, or ring it on 0300 123 2040. Citizens Advice gives advice and support on online fraud by phone and online chat.

How the government assesses it

The National Risk Register 2025 groups cyber attacks on infrastructure as one category and rates its average impact at 3, moderate, and average likelihood at 4, a 5 to 25 per cent chance. The targets it assesses are gas infrastructure, electricity infrastructure, civil nuclear, fuel supply, the health and social care system, the transport sector, telecommunications systems and a UK retail bank. The telecoms scenario is a sophisticated attack on a major UK provider affecting millions, including customers of other networks that route through it, with broadband, landline and mobile down so that affected customers cannot call 999, lasting up to 72 hours but possibly weeks or months, and full remediation taking months or years. Providers must notify Ofcom of an incident and can call on the NCSC. The register notes the same disruption could come from misconfiguration, accident or software failure rather than an attack, and lists changes in the nature of cyber security threats among its chronic risks.

Where to look

• NCSC advice for you and your family at ncsc.gov.uk/section/advice-guidance/you-your-family.
• Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040.
• Citizens Advice at citizensadvice.org.uk.
• Related pages: phone and broadband outages, power cuts, terrorism.