--- title: 'Cyber Security for Accountants | UK Practices' url: 'https://triplepoint.org.uk/industries/accountants' markdown: 'https://triplepoint.org.uk/industries/accountants.md' date: '2026-10-29' description: 'Cyber security for UK accountancy practices: stop fake HMRC emails and payment fraud, protect client data, and meet insurer expectations. From £13/user.' --- # Cyber Security for Accountants | UK Practices ## Why accountants are targeted An accountancy practice holds exactly what criminals want: bank details, National Insurance numbers, payroll and tax records for every client. Just as valuable is the trust your clients place in you. When an email from their accountant asks them to pay a bill or confirm their details, they act on it. That makes a practice's mailbox a prize. An attacker who gets into one account can read years of client correspondence and send convincing requests to everyone in it, from an address your clients already know. ## What we see ### Fake HMRC emails and texts Scams pretending to be from HMRC are common all year, and busiest in the run-up to the 31 January self assessment deadline, when your team is under the most pressure. ### Invoice and payment fraud An attacker in a mailbox changes the bank details on a real invoice, or asks a client to pay a "new account". The money is usually gone before anyone notices. ### Ransomware at the worst time Being locked out of client files in the weeks before a filing deadline does the most damage, and [88% of ransomware](https://www.sophos.com/en-us/blog/2026-sophos-active-adversary-report) is launched outside business hours, when nobody is watching. ### Files on the move Client records on laptops that work from home, and staff reading work email on their own phones. A lost device should never mean a data breach. ## What clients, insurers and regulators expect - **UK GDPR.** Your practice is responsible for the personal data it holds about clients and their employees. A breach that puts people at risk must be reported to the ICO within 72 hours of you becoming aware of it. - **Insurers.** Professional indemnity and cyber insurers increasingly ask about multi-factor authentication, email security, device protection and whether anyone is monitoring for attacks. Good answers can make cover easier to get. - **Clients.** Larger clients may send you a security questionnaire before they share data, and every client expects their information to be safe with you. What we recommend ## Protection for accountants From£4 ### Email security Filters fake HMRC emails, impersonation and malicious attachments out of your mailboxes before your team sees them. Per user, per month, excluding VAT. [More details](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security/people-and-email/email-security) From£8 ### Identity threat detection (ITDR) Spots stolen passwords and suspicious Microsoft 365 sign-ins, the usual first step in a payment fraud. Per user, per month, excluding VAT. [More details](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security/detect-and-respond/identity-protection) From£13 ### 24/7 managed detection & response (MDR) A 24/7 team watching your devices and systems, including deadline weekends and bank holidays, and stepping in to contain an attack. Per user, per month, excluding VAT. [More details](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security/detect-and-respond/mdr) From£4 ### Phishing simulation & training Practice phishing emails and short training, so your team spots the real thing even when they are busy. Per user, per month, excluding VAT. [More details](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security/people-and-email/phishing-simulation) From£2 ### Disk encryption Encrypts laptops so one left on a train is an inconvenience, not a reportable breach. Per user, per month, excluding VAT. [More details](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security/devices/disk-encryption) ### Business email compromise If a mailbox is compromised, we lock the attacker out, find out what they saw and help you contact the right people. [More details](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security/incident-response/business-email-compromise) ## How we work with practices A typical small practice has between 10 and 50 people, an IT provider for day-to-day support, and nobody whose job is security. That's the gap we fill. We start with a conversation about how your practice works: where client files live, how your team works remotely, and what your insurer asks for. Then we recommend the protection that fits, with prices up front. Everything runs from one platform with one monthly invoice, and you can add to it as you grow. Questions We already have an IT provider. Do we need you as well?+Usually yes, and the two work well together. Your IT provider looks after users, software and hardware. We supply and manage the security: the protection itself and the 24/7 monitoring behind it. What would this cost for a 15-person practice?+Our 24/7 MDR starts at £13 per user per month, so from £195 a month for 15 people, excluding VAT. Email security and the other controls are priced per user too. Use the [price calculator](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security) for your own numbers. Can you help us answer our insurer's security questions?+Yes. Our [cyber security consultancy](https://triplepoint.org.uk/consultancy/cyber-security) can go through the questionnaire with you, explain what each question is really asking, and tell you where you have gaps. Where to go next- [Cyber insurance requirements: what UK insurers ask small businesses for](https://triplepoint.org.uk/guides/cyber-insurance-requirements-uk) - [MDR vs EDR vs XDR: what does a small business actually need?](https://triplepoint.org.uk/guides/mdr-vs-edr-vs-xdr) - [Compare our five protection tiers and prices](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security#protection-tiers) - [Cyber security consultancy](https://triplepoint.org.uk/consultancy/cyber-security) [< Back to Industries](https://triplepoint.org.uk/industries) ## Not sure what you need? Tell us a little about your business and we'll recommend the controls that will work best for you, with no obligation and no jargon. [Talk to us](https://triplepoint.org.uk/contact?about=Accountants) or [See every security area](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security) Our experts spent 20 years at Sophos and include a certified ethical hacker. [More about us](https://triplepoint.org.uk/about) --- ## Navigation - Parent: [Cyber Security for Professional Firms & Charities](https://triplepoint.org.uk/industries.md) - Next: [Cyber Security for Charities | Managed Protection](https://triplepoint.org.uk/industries/charities.md)