Bank of England loses hundreds of laptops amid rising cyber threats

The Bank of England has come under fire after losing hundreds of tech devices worth nearly £300,000.

Figures seen by City AM reveal the Bank of England lost or had stolen over 300 laptops, tablets and phones between May 2022 and March 2025.

Patrick Sullivan, chief executive of think tank Parliament Street, said: “The Bank of England is blundering towards a major security disaster.”

Laptops were the most common loss with 30 in the last year, topping £30,000 in value.

John Lucey, digital forensic specialist at Cellebrite, said the devices would mark a “treasure trove for critical data for cyber criminals” which could make them “detrimental in the wrong hands.” 

Cyber crime on a rampage

This comes as cyber criminals have wreaked havoc across the UK with a string of attacks.

Worst hit was retail giant Marks & Spencer, which was forced to halt orders through its website in April after a cyber attack.

M&S estimated the attack will hit 2025 profit by £300m, which is roughly a third of its overall profit.

NHS patient data was also targeted by hackers in May after University College London hospitals and NHS Foundation Trust were among the victims identified in a widespread cyber breach analysed by cybersecurity firm EclecticIQ.

Achi Lewis, VP EMEA at Absolute Security, said:  “The harsh reality is that organisations like the BoE are a top target for hackers, and misplaced laptops are all too often a chink in the security armour. 

“We’ve already seen the damage these criminals can do to established retail outlets, and the consequences of a successful breach on a major public institution would be horrendous.”

The bank said all laptops, tablets and mobile phones were encrypted to limit the impact of a device’s loss on data security. They added any lost or stolen devices would also be blocked from further communication with the bank.