--- title: 'Cyber Security for Financial Advisers | IFAs' url: 'https://triplepoint.org.uk/industries/financial-advisers' markdown: 'https://triplepoint.org.uk/industries/financial-advisers.md' date: '2026-10-29' description: 'Cyber security for UK financial advisers: stop redirected withdrawals and transfers, protect client data and platform logins, and meet FCA expectations.' --- # Cyber Security for Financial Advisers | IFAs ## Why financial advisers are targeted A financial advice firm holds a detailed picture of every client's finances: savings, pensions, investments, income and often health details for protection cover. It also holds the logins to the platforms where that money is invested and moved. That makes advisers a target for criminals who want either the data or the money itself. An attacker who gets into an adviser's mailbox can watch a pension transfer or a withdrawal being arranged, then step in with "updated" bank details, from an address the client already trusts. ## What we see ### Redirected withdrawals and transfers A criminal in a mailbox, at your firm or the client's, changes the bank details for a withdrawal, a pension transfer or an investment, just before the money moves. ### Stolen platform logins Passwords for investment platforms, back-office systems and provider portals give direct access to client records and, in the wrong hands, to instructions on their accounts. ### Detailed client data Financial details, identity documents and health information for protection advice. A breach is valuable to fraudsters and may need reporting to the ICO, and possibly to the FCA. ### Your firm being impersonated Fake emails and look-alike domains using your firm's name to persuade clients to move money or hand over details. ## What clients, insurers and regulators expect - **The FCA.** Under Principle 11, firms must tell the FCA about anything it would reasonably expect notice of. The FCA's guidance on [reporting operational incidents](https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/operational-resilience/reporting-operational-incidents) says an incident may be material if it results in unauthorised access to your systems, makes them unavailable, or causes a significant loss of data. New, standardised incident reporting rules come into force on 18 March 2027. - **UK GDPR.** Your firm is responsible for the personal data it holds. A breach that puts people at risk must be reported to the ICO within 72 hours of you becoming aware of it. - **Your network or compliance support.** Networks and compliance consultants increasingly check member firms' security as part of their oversight. - **Insurers.** Professional indemnity and cyber insurers ask about multi-factor authentication, email security, device protection and monitoring. What we recommend ## Protection for financial advisers From£4 ### Email security Filters impersonation, look-alike domains and fake payment instructions 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 before a redirected payment. 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 evenings and weekends, 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 advisers and paraplanners spot the real thing. Per user, per month, excluding VAT. [More details](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security/people-and-email/phishing-simulation) From£2 ### Disk encryption Encrypts laptops taken to client meetings, so a lost one 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 quickly. [More details](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security/incident-response/business-email-compromise) ## How we work with advice firms A typical small advice firm has between 5 and 30 people, an IT provider or back-office software supplier 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 firm works: where client files live, which platforms your team logs into, how money moves, and what your network and insurer ask 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 How do we stop clients being tricked into sending money to the wrong account?+Tell clients at the start, in writing, that your bank details and the way you take instructions will never change by email. Confirm any change of details by phone using a number you already hold, and protect every mailbox with multi-factor authentication. Our guide to [invoice fraud](https://triplepoint.org.uk/guides/invoice-fraud-business-email-compromise) explains how these attacks work. Do we have to tell the FCA about a cyber attack?+If it's material, yes. The FCA expects to hear about incidents that, for example, give someone unauthorised access to your systems, make them unavailable or cause a significant loss of data. A personal data breach is reported to the ICO separately. Our guide, [Do we need to report a cyber attack?](https://triplepoint.org.uk/guides/report-a-cyber-attack-uk), covers the ICO side. What would this cost for a 10-person firm?+Our 24/7 MDR starts at £13 per user per month, so from £130 a month for 10 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. Where to go next- [Invoice fraud: how business email compromise works and how to stop it](https://triplepoint.org.uk/guides/invoice-fraud-business-email-compromise) - [Microsoft 365 account hacked? What to do next](https://triplepoint.org.uk/guides/microsoft-365-account-hacked) - [Cyber insurance requirements: what UK insurers ask small businesses for](https://triplepoint.org.uk/guides/cyber-insurance-requirements-uk) - [Compare our five protection tiers and prices](https://triplepoint.org.uk/security#protection-tiers) [< 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=Financial%20advisers) 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) - Previous: [Cyber Security for Charities | Managed Protection](https://triplepoint.org.uk/industries/charities.md) - Next: [Cyber Security for Insurance Brokers | UK](https://triplepoint.org.uk/industries/insurance-brokers.md)