Stratford-upon-Avon
13 The Courtyard
Timothy's Bridge Road
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Warwickshire CV37 9NP
A Companies House blunder has raised concerns after a flaw in the WebFiling service briefly exposed sensitive company data. The issue, identified on 13 March 2026, meant that a logged-in user could potentially access and amend limited details of another company by carrying out a specific sequence of actions.
Companies House has stated that this system vulnerability was not available to the general public. Only users with authorised access codes who were already logged into the system could have exploited it. Nevertheless, the nature of the flaw meant that certain private information, such as dates of birth, residential addresses and company email addresses may have been visible. There was also a risk that unauthorised filings, including accounts and changes to director details, could have been submitted on another company’s record.
After identifying this issue, Companies House shut down the WebFiling service at 13:30 on 13 March to investigate. Following independent testing, the system was restored at 09:00 on 16 March. Companies House has said that passwords and identity verification data were not compromised, and that existing filed documents, such as accounts or confirmation statements, could not be altered.
The issue is believed to have arisen from a WebFiling systems update in October 2025. It has been reported to both the Information Commissioner’s Office and the National Cyber Security Centre.
Companies are now being urged to review their registered details and filing history carefully. While no confirmed misuse has been reported so far, Companies House is continuing to investigate. If a company has a concern, it should raise a complaint via the Companies House complaints page at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house/about/complaints-procedure and include evidence to describe the issue.
Grenfell James Technology Adoption Index
How does your business perform against others adopting financial tech? Find out with our interactive diagnostic:
1.
How does your business receive invoices?
A)
Invoices are mainly received in paper form
B)
Invoices are mainly received by email
C)
Invoices are emailed then automatically forwarded to a designated mailbox
2.
How are purchase invoices processed?
A)
Invoices are entered manually
B)
Invoices are attached to manually raised invoices
C)
Automated software (e.g. ReceiptBank, 1Tap, HubDoc etc) collates invoices
3.
How are accounts processed?
A)
Using Excel/paper-based
B)
Using Computer-based, offline software
C)
Using cloud-based accountancy software
4.
How often is business data revised?
A)
Data is updated annually
B)
Data is updated quarterly
C)
Data is updated monthly or more often
5.
How is banking updated for your business?
A)
Banking is updated manually
B)
Banking is updated by imports
C)
Banking is updated via a live feed
6.
How are bank payments made?
A)
Bank payments are manual
B)
Bank payments are made using bulk imports
C)
Bank payments are made directly via accounting software
7.
How are bank receipts reconciled?
A)
Receipts are chased and reconciled manually
B)
Receipts are chased and reconciled automatically
C)
A third-party platform is used to chase debts and collect fees
8.
How often are management reports produced?
A)
No reports are provided
B)
Reports are provided but often too late to be valuable
C)
Reports are automated with real-time information
Score 8-12:
Curious Exploration
Your financial technology phase is Curious Exploration
% of respondent businesses are in this phase too.
Switching accountancy systems may seem like an upheaval, but can be much more straightforward than most businesses imagine. From talking to our clients, they have found moving from paper invoicing and desktop-based accounting software to the cloud and apps quickly makes the transition process a worthwhile investment of time. Digital accounting solutions bring in streamlined processes, up-to-date business data and greater confidence in the accuracy of information when making financial decisions.
Grenfell James works with your team to fully assess the needs of your business and minimise the impact of any transitions for solutions we recommend.
Score 13-19:
Measured Discovery
Your financial technology phase is Measured Discovery
% of respondent businesses are in this phase too.
Once cloud accountancy software is in place, there’s still plenty of scope to improve your accountancy processes and make sure your business is maximising the benefits of adopting a digital accounting solution. Grenfell James assesses each business to understand how any implemented solutions are being used, identify areas for improvement and the needs of the business overall to support your business goals and achieve success.
Our team of experts can discuss a range of time-saving automation and get different apps and cloud-based solutions talking to create and manage a digital accountancy eco-system to help your business grow.
Score 20-24:
Bold Innovation
Your financial technology phase is Bold Innovation
% of respondent businesses are in this phase too.
You know the benefits of accounting technology and the impact it can have on your business goals. If you want to take it a step further, our team can conduct a systematic review of your processes, apps and business goals to ensure your digital accountancy ecosystem is keeping pace with the changing needs of a growing business.