Low cyber penetration persisting despite 17% growth in cyber attacks on property firms

Cyber attacks on UK property services companies grew by 17% across 2025, despite the majority of firms – particularly smaller businesses – remaining unprotected by cyber insurance.

This is according to new figures from data and analytics firm GlobalData, released today (21 September 2026), which revealed that some 208 cyber attacks were targeted at real estate and renting firms across the year.

These firms, GlobalData explained, were of particular interest to hackers due to their handling of sensitive and valuable information including bank details, passport scans, proof of address documents and mortgage details.

Despite this risk, the majority of firms remain unprotected. Indeed, a 2025 GlobalData survey found that cyber penetration rates stand at just 7.7% across sole traders, 20.5% at small businesses and 55% at medium-sized firms.

The report warned that smaller business may not recognise the impact of cyber incidents until after the fact, stressing that brokers and insurers have a heightened role to play in highlighting the benefits of cover to such groups.

Increasing digital reliance

Charlie Hutcherson, senior insurance analyst at GlobalData, said: “Property businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on digital systems while continuing to hold large amounts of sensitive personal and financial information.

“For insurers, this represents an opportunity to address an increasingly visible protection gap. Improving understanding of cyber risks among property businesses will be important, but insurers will also need to make cover easier to understand and access.”

He continued: “As property transactions and customer interactions become increasingly digital, cyber exposure within the sector is unlikely to diminish. Rising attack volumes combined with comparatively low insurance penetration could increase the number of businesses absorbing cyber losses themselves.

“Insurers that can improve awareness, simplify distribution and demonstrate the practical value of cyber cover therefore have an opportunity to increase penetration within an underserved part of the SME market.”