"People should remain vigilant" – over 2 million British accounts have already been leaked in 2025, despite a global downtick

• 2.2 million British accounts have been breached in the first three months of 2025 alone
• The UK was the sixth most affected country worldwide, behind the US, Russia, India, Germany, and Spain 
• Despite this, the latest data shows a considerable downtick in data breach incidents worldwide

An average of 17 British accounts were breached every minute in 2025 so far, totalling 2.2 million accounts leaked in the UK during the first three months of the year. This toll makes the UK the sixth country most affected worldwide after the US, Russia, India, Germany, and Spain.

These are the main findings coming from Surfshark's quarterly update on its global data breach analysis.

Nonetheless, experts report a considerable downtick in data breach incidents worldwide compared to last year's surge. In the UK, data breaches decreased this year so far by 49% compared to the last three months of 2024.

Globally, the latest data shows a staggering 93% drop, passing from a total of 973.7 million to 68.3 million leaked accounts.

"Although the number of vulnerable accounts in all major regions decreased in Q1 2025 compared to the previous quarter, people should remain vigilant," said Luís Costa, Research Lead at Surfshark.

Surfshark has recorded a total of 1.2B personal records exposed in the UK since 2004. This includes 79.2 million unique emails and 238.4 million passwords.

The US was, however, the most affected nation globally, with 16.9 million accounts breached in 2025 so far. Russia follows with 4.4 million, then India (4.2 million), Germany (3.9 million), and Spain (2.4 million). France (2.1 million), Canada (0.89 million), Argentina (0.79 million), and South Sudan (0.73 million) are also among the top ten most breached countries during the first three months of 2025.

How to protect your data from breaches

Despite the global downturn, data breaches and cyberattacks do not seem they be going away anytime soon.

This is why, whether you are based in the UK or any other targeted country, you should take some steps to secure your online data against this threat.

"Cyberthreats continue to evolve and attackers are constantly adapting their tactics," said Costa.

He then suggests following strong security practices at all times and regularly updating your passwords. A password manager tool is very handy to help you find unique combinations and stay on top of the security of your accounts with a couple of clicks.

Costa also recommends enabling 2FA, adding a second layer of security to your account by requiring another verification beyond just your password. This means that even if your password gets leaked, your account should remain safe.

You should also be vigilant when online to not falling victim to phishing scams. While a few virtual private network (VPN) tools and secure email services boast features to help you stay away from these dangers, refraining from clicking on dodgy links remains the best way to stay safe.

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