What happened, who was affected, and what we can learn…
January kicked off the year with a sobering reminder that data breaches aren’t just a risk for tech companies and retailers; government bodies can fall victim too. The ICO issued a major fine to the Electoral Commission this month following a prolonged investigation into one of the most far-reaching public sector breaches in UK history.
Here’s a full breakdown of what happened:
The Electoral Commission
Date Reported: 10th January, 2025
No. of UK Individuals Affected: Approximately 40 million
Data Exposed or at Risk: Names, home addresses (where available), dates of birth, email addresses, and information on whether individuals were registered to vote
ICO Response: £495,000 monetary penalty issued for multiple failings under UK GDPR
Summary: The breach itself occurred in August 2021 but wasn’t discovered until October 2022. Attackers gained access to internal email systems and a copy of the full electoral register. Although passwords and financial details were not accessed, the volume of personal data exposed was unprecedented for a UK public body.
Commentary: This was less about a novel attack and more about a long-overdue wake-up call. The ICO noted systemic failings in patching, account protection, and incident detection. A delay of over a year in discovering the breach didn’t help either. The fine, while relatively modest, reflects a serious lapse in protecting public trust and infrastructure.
Insights for UK Businesses
- Slow breach detection can be as damaging as the breach itself. In this case, it took over 12 months just to identify the intrusion.
- Public sector organisations aren’t exempt. Every institution holding large-scale citizen data needs to invest in resilience, not just compliance.
- Detection, logging and internal response play a huge role. If you can’t see what’s happening inside your systems, you’re not in control of your data.
Legislative Context
Although this breach occurred before the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 came into force, its handling shows why the new law exists. Under the new framework, delayed reporting and weak preventative controls are likely to be judged even more harshly.
Conclusion
January’s report may contain only one high-profile breach, but the scope of the Electoral Commission incident makes it one of the most significant the UK has seen. The personal data of tens of millions of voters was left vulnerable for over a year; without any indication that malicious actors were blocked or even detected.
Organisations of every size, particularly those holding citizen records, should take note.
Disclaimer
This report is based on public disclosures, media reports, and ICO updates available at the time of writing. Figures for affected individuals may be estimated where not officially disclosed. This post is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
