The real estate and administration sector had the second lowest number of data breaches of any UK industry in 2022, according to research by Scams.info.

The study showed there were 5,674 cybersecurity breaches in the industry over the past year. In addition, the real estate and administration sector had the second lowest number of individual leaks per employee, with just 0.05 security breaches on average per worker.

Only food and hospitality was more cyber-secure among the 12 industries studied, with just 5,176 data breaches in the past year, equating to a minuscule 0.04 breaches per employee. The information and communication sector was least secure, with 320,060 breaches – an average of 66.17 per employee.

Web development and cyber security expert Ledi Sallilari of Reboot said the importance of cyber-security training is invaluable, and implementing safe practices when working online can play a vital part in keeping the data of your company, clients and employees safe from attack.

“The main cause of online security breaches can be largely put down to human error,” he said. “Avoid easily guessable passwords that use identifying information, such as your dog’s name, and opt for the longest passwords possible. If there is an option for your password to be between eight and 24 characters, go for 24.

“Be aware of phishing attacks, and do not open any emails you do not recognise. Some hackers may even impersonate your boss, so it’s always best to double check directly with the alleged sender themselves before actioning anything from a suspicious email.”