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  "path": "/tech/uk-data-breach-crisis",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-22T18:01:54.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "**Best cheap VPNs**",
    "Second-ever Freely TV box unveiled with cheapest price yet",
    "Best VPN deals",
    "ExpressVPN issues critical update — install NOW or lose VPN access",
    "149 million online accounts leak, including Gmail, Netflix, Yahoo, more",
    "**best VPNs**",
    "**best free VPNs**",
    "**Why you need a VPN in 2026: The best provider named this year**",
    "it's slashed 87% off its monthly cost and coupled that discount with three months of free access",
    "new multi-tier subscription structure",
    "cut monthly subscriptions by 80%",
    "generous 4 months of access to the award-winning VPN service for free",
    "NordPass is a secure password manager",
    "the award-winning NordVPN",
    "**millions still managed to avoid breaches thanks to these handy tools**",
    "award-winning 1Password",
    "**Britons are still using common words for their login credentials**",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nYour personal data may be floating around the dark web right now. A staggering 8.2 million accounts were compromised across the UK last year, according to a new data analysis from VPN provider Surfshark — placing Britain sixth in the world for data breaches in 2025.\n\nThis means roughly 16 accounts were exposed every single minute throughout the year. That's your email addresses, passwords, phone numbers, and other sensitive details potentially landing in the wrong hands. With this type of information, fraudsters could potentially take your stolen credentials to break into your other accounts, potentially leading to identity theft, extortion, or other cyber crimes.\n\nGlobally, the picture looks even grimmer. Around 425.7 million accounts were breached worldwide, with the US topping the list at 142.9 million. France, India, Germany, and Russia followed behind.\n\nThe summer months proved particularly brutal for your data security. The third quarter of 2025 saw 2.5 million accounts breached in the UK alone, making it the worst period of the year.\n\nHowever, Tomas Stamulis, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark, warns that Britons should be cautious at all times: \"In the UK, this trend is different, showing that people must be vigilant year-round, as bad actors never stop.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWhen you compare the UK to neighbouring Ireland, the difference is stark. Britain recorded 118 breached accounts per 1,000 residents, while Ireland sat at just 61. That means you're nearly twice as likely to have your data exposed living here.\n\nThe internet and telecom sectors are bearing the brunt, accounting for 20% of all compromised accounts.\n\nFinancial services come in second at 12%, which makes sense given how much sensitive data banks and lenders hold about you. And computers and consumer electronics make up roughly 10% of breaches, while travel and tourism, alongside business and industrial sectors, each represent about 8%.\n\nHowever, no sector is truly safe. From jobs and education to health and even the adult industry, breaches are consistently happening everywhere.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * **Best cheap VPNs**\n  * **Second-ever Freely TV box unveiled with cheapest price yet**\n  * **Best VPN deals**\n  * **ExpressVPN issues critical update — install NOW or lose VPN access**\n  * **149 million online accounts leak, including Gmail, Netflix, Yahoo, more**\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nLooking at the bigger picture, your data has likely been compromised multiple times over the years, too. Since 2004, the UK has topped Northern Europe with a whopping 392.2 million compromised user accounts.\n\nWhat's particularly worrying is that 245.9 million passwords were leaked alongside British accounts. This puts 63% of breached users at serious risk of account takeover. Statistically speaking, the average Brit has been caught up in data breaches around six times.\n\nDespite these high numbers, there are a few methods you can use to protect your personal information.\n\nFor starters, you can employ the help of a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The **best VPNs** — even the **best free VPNs** — consist of software that protects and anonymises _everything_ you do online.\n\n  * **Why you need a VPN in 2026: The best provider named this year**\n\n\n\nVPNs can conceal your online activities by routing traffic through an encrypted tunnel that connects to secure servers worldwide. The most reliable VPNs employ the same encryption standard as governments in the United Kingdom and the United States, ensuring that even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can't keep tabs on the websites you visit, the duration of your sessions on each site, or your current location.\n\n### Get 3 months for free + 87% off remaining subscription​ to ​​​Surfshark VPN\n\n\n\n\nIf you're looking for the most affordable monthly VPN subscription, look no further than this Surfshark deal. For a limited time, **it's slashed 87% off its monthly cost and coupled that discount with three months of free access**. You'll need to sign up for a two-year plan to unlock this saying, but with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 customer service, there's no risk for new customers\n\n### Get 4 months extra free + 80% off remaining subscription with ExpressVPN\n\n\n\n\nWith its **new multi-tier subscription structure** , ExpressVPN has _never_ been more affordable\n\nIf you want to unlock the ExpressVPN Basic plan, which offers unlimited access to its award-winning, reliable and ludicrously speedy VPN servers across the globe, it has **cut monthly subscriptions by 80%**. If you sign up for a 12-month plan, you'll be gifted with a **generous 4 months of access to the award-winning VPN service for free**. That equates to **under 6 pence per day!**\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThis protection extends to advertisers, trackers, and hackers, preventing them from monitoring your online behaviour. Furthermore, personal information entered into online forms and sensitive data transmitted to and from your device will be safeguarded from hackers using strong encryption provided by a VPN.\n\nYou can also use password managers to help safeguard your accounts from data breaches.\n\nPassword managers safely store and autofill your passwords for different accounts, making it easier to use strong, unique passwords everywhere. Together, they can simplify your login security and greatly reduce the risk of hacks.\n\n\"The practice of using password managers has encouraged individuals to create unique and complex passwords for all their accounts, thereby significantly minimising the chances of the use of the same password,\" cybersecurity expert Jacob Klavo, told GB News.\n\n### Secure your passwords with 48% off NordPass and browse securely with NordVPN for free\n\n\n\n\n**NordPass is a secure password manager** that works across your favourite devices, including iPhone and Android, Windows and Mac computers, iPad and other tablets ...it will evaluate your password strength, autofill login details for you, and warn about any data breaches that impact you. It's a one-stop shop to improve your online security and fight back against hackers from the team behind **the award-winning NordVPN. **Plus, when you switch, you get access to NordVPN for FREE for three months.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nPasskeys are another helpful tool to use. These are a modern replacement for traditional passwords, using cryptographic keys stored on your device to securely log in without typing a password. They help protect against fraudsters and are more secure than passwords alone. Several web browsers, like Google Chrome and Safari, already have them built into their systems to help reduce the risk.\n\nWhile 8.2 million accounts were compromised in 2025, **millions still managed to avoid breaches thanks to these handy tools**.\n\n### Switch to 1Password for free\n\n\n\n\nThe **award-winning 1Password** is designed to generate and store unguessable passwords, passkeys, credit card numbers, national insurance numbers, and much more. This encrypted vault is available across all of your favourite devices, including iPhone and Android, Windows and Mac computers, iPad and other tablets. It's built-in WatchTower feature evaluates password strength and warns about data breaches that impact you. 1Password is currently **free to test for 14 days** with no obligation to subscribe\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nMr Klavo told GB News, \"On the other hand, passkeys, which can be defined as cryptographic credentials that are a substitute for regular passwords, do not involve the human factor at all and thus make phishing attacks and leaks far less effective. We are witnessing the initial measurable influence of the widespread adoption of more secure password practices.\"\n\nFailing to protect your accounts with a password manager or passkey can leave you dangerously exposed. Many people reuse passwords across multiple accounts or choose simple, easy-to-guess passwords. In a recent report, it was revealed that **Britons are still using common words for their login credentials**, like \"password\" and \"admin.\"\n\nCybercriminals are well aware of this and actively exploit it, using stolen credentials from one breach to access countless other accounts — a tactic known as credential stuffing.\n\nWithout a secure way to hide your browsing _and_ __ manage your passwords, sensitive information such as banking details, personal emails, and social media profiles can be compromised.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "Britons faces massive data breach crisis with 8.2 million accounts exposed — protect yourself NOW"
}