Housing providers across the UK and the US are facing a surge in cyber threats, as attackers have evolved faster than ever, particularly since the beginning of 2025. 

Quorum Cyber’s 2025 Mid-Year Global Cyber Risk Outlook Report reveals a dramatic rise in professionalised cybercrime, with over 70 new threat groups identified by our Threat Intelligence team in the first six months of the year, as well as numerous new Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) offerings emerging.  

Why the housing sector is at risk 

Housing associations store large volumes of personal data on their tenants, operate under tight financial constraints, and often rely on third-party IT services. These factors make them attractive targets for scalable, low-cost attacks, especially from affiliates using white-label ransomware platforms, such as RansomBay. 

How housing providers can protect themselves 

To strengthen their security posture, our Threat Intelligence team advise associations to take the following steps: 

• Strengthen Cloud Security: Review encryption policies and disable customer-managed keys unless essential 

• Monitor Credentials: Implement dark web monitoring and enforce frequent password changes for privileged accounts 

• Educate Staff: Train employees to spot phishing and social engineering tactics, especially those targeting IT and finance teams 

• Adopt Resilient Backup Strategies: Follow the ‘3-2-1’ rule – three copies of data, on two types of media, with one offsite 

• Deploy Phishing-Resistant MFA: Use FIDO2 keys or passkeys to protect against adversary-in-the-middle attacks. 

Threat actors in the cybercrime ecosystem are becoming more advanced, and some are now mimicking practices from the corporate sector. This means housing providers mustn’t waste time in strengthening their defences. By partnering with a threat-led cyber security specialist with hundreds of experienced cyber security experts, housing associations can stay ahead of the relentless threats and protect the people they serve. 

Paul Caiazzo, Chief Threat Officer, says: “At Quorum Cyber, we believe effective defence starts with deep, continuous visibility into the evolving threat landscape. In our role at the intersection of intelligence, incident response, and counter extortion, we are uniquely positioned to observe how threat actors operate, adapt, and increasingly collaborate to amplify their impact.” 

Find out more and get in touch 

You can read the practical tips suggested by the Threat Intelligence team by downloading your free copy of the report. 

Contact us today to book a meeting with our experts and discover how you can receive tailored support to strengthen your security posture.