Cyber security | Breaches of employee data jump by 41%, exposing employers to legal risks

Employee data breaches have hit the highest level in at least five years, new research shows.

According to analysis by law firm Nockolds, reports to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) of breaches of employee data jumped from 2,279 in 2022 to 3,208 in 2023 - a rise of 41%.

The number of reported breaches relating to employees’ data is at the highest level since at least 2019, when 3,010 breaches were reported to the ICO.

The analysis by Nockolds also reveals that ransomware attacks targeting employee data jumped by 57 per cent over the past year, from 352 to 554. Ransomware is a type of malware that attempts to unlawfully encrypt files on a host computer system. This software then makes employee data unavailable through encryption or deletion. The attacker requests payment in return for restoring the data.