UK Cyber Chief Warns: 100+ Countries Have Advanced Spyware

The UK’s cybersecurity chief revealed over 100 countries now own spyware that can hack phones.

UK cyber authorities have confirmed that more than 100 nations possess commercial spyware tools capable of breaching phones and computers—an escalation that puts commercial and legal data under intensifying threat.

• The number of state actors with access to these tools jumped from 80 two years ago to over 100 today.
• UK businesses remain attractive targets: 54% reported state-sponsored cyber-attacks in 2025, up substantially from 47% in 2024.
• The NCSC manages four nationally significant cyber incidents each week, focused predominantly on threats emanating from Russia, Iran, and China, according to NCSC chief Richard Horne.
• Horne warned, “British companies are failing to grasp the reality of today’s world,” emphasizing the heightened vulnerability in both peacetime and conflict.
• The UK government is investing £390 million over three years to enhance cyber resilience—including at small and midsize businesses—as hostile actors weaponize emerging technologies.

For legal and compliance professionals, this proliferation of commercial spyware means reassessing threat models and response plans. Effective monitoring, contractual protections, and risk assessments are now baseline expectations as the digital surveillance landscape rapidly evolves.

Yes, but: Detailed information about the specific spyware tools or their direct impact on businesses remains limited.