Have you ever wondered about the countries that face the most cybercrime instances? If you ever wondered about the countries that face the most cybercrime, you will be surprised to learn that there are a few significant contributing factors attracting cybercriminals to specific regions of the world.
In this article, we will know about the top ten global cybercrime hotspots.
1. China
China is considered a stalwart hotbed for hackers. But instead of the spotlight falling on the gans of criminals, it has primarily fallen on the Chinese government that has linked to economic and political espionage against the U.S. Unaffiliated Chinese hackers have posed a problem both inside and outside the country but there is always a surprisingly low presence in comparison to the size of the country. Most of the Chinese cyberattacks against the U.S industry are focused on technology and communications companies and defense contractors. China entered into an agreement with the U.S to stop conducting digital economic espionage in 2015. Though attacks from China have lessened since then, it is still prevalent.
2. Brazil
Brazil is regarded as a cybercrime economy that is emerging. Cybercriminals in Brazil and across South America are learning from their counterparts in Eastern Europe through underground forums. So far, the cyberattacks that have originated in Brazil have always targeted local individuals and firms. Brazil was in the headlines when the Rio De Janeiro Olympics was plagued by cybercrime and digital attacks. Even before the Olympics, Brazil was the second-largest cybercrime generator in the world. Brazil, being a nation that accounts for less than 3% of the world’s total population, accounts for 14.2% of all malware that emanates from Brazil.
3. Russia
Approximately 4.1% of malware comes reportedly from Russia. This doesn’t seem to be much maybe because Russia is engaged in other cybercrimes such as:
- Hacking US voter databases.
- Hacking reporters.
- Hacking the Democratic National Convention.
- Hacking the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The favorite victims of Russian cybercriminals are mainly located in Europe and the U.S. Hence, they need to adapt to security measures. These measures mainly comprise banking credentials and two-factor authentications through coordinate cards, SMS, etc. To bypass these types of protection measures, cybercriminals manipulate users in such a way that the users open the pages that the cybercriminals want them to.
4. Poland
Poland ranks 36 in the world’s population, and this accounts to only 1/2 of one percent. In spite of their small size, it might surprise you that Poland’s second-largest export is electronic equipment. This tech-savvy nation has a single internet service provider (ISP) that accounts for about 5% of the world’s spam. Though Europe doesn’t produce cyber threats as much as Asia or Noth America, it is the one nation spanning two continents that keeps cyber intelligence feeds busy.
5. Iran
The counterintelligence office of Iran said that software vulnerabilities will continue to allow hackers to insert malicious code into U.S. networks. As per a report issued by the counterintelligence agency, “A range of other potentially disruptive threats warrant attention. “Cyber threats will continue to evolve with technological advances in the global information environment.” New laws have been put in place by countries that might need U.S. companies to store their data locally in the host country or submit their software code for security reviews.
6. India
India is one of those countries that has the largest population on earth. It is a high tech society, and many U.S. companies outsource jobs here. Despite these facts, there are very little cyber threats emanating from India, and there is not much of a cyber threat challenge in India. But why is that? Though it cannot be said for sure, maybe the cultural differences make India less appealing for cybercrime. But this does not imply that India is free from cybercrime instances. The cybercrimes have almost doubled since 2017 according to statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Emergency response teams are set up to combat cybercrimes in India.
7. Nigeria
The environment for cybercriminals in Nigeria is proving to be very comfortable for cybercriminals. Authorities in Nigeria and various African countries have been very slow on cracking down hackers and scammers as the number of people connecting to the internet each day is increasing. Nigeria is known to be the original home of low-tech spam emails. It still remains a key player in underground cyber activity. Nigeria has turned into an international zone for cybercrime syndicates.
8. Vietnam
In the last decade, Vietnam’s IT industry has expanded at a rapid rate. There were also news reports about a hacker who masterminded the theft of almost 200 million personal records in the U.S. and Europe. This included credit card data, bank account information, and social security numbers. The Communist Government in Vietnam has recruited local hackers to spy on journalists and activists, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
9. The United States
It seems like no one gets hacked more than the United States. That is because the U.S. is the ‘land of opportunity’ for hackers and the reasons for which they hack are:
- Money– The primary motivation for cybercrime is money. The United States is regarded as the world’s richest nation.
- Hacktivism– Hackers who are looking to disrupt the corrupt political system, and are not motivated by money, they are called hacktivists. The nation’s largest corporations that have the most recognizable brands are mostly targeted.
- Espionage– Hacking-for-hire by governments and corporations is mostly relating to trade secrets, national security, intellectual property, and corporate advantage. The U.S. and its corporations are the ones that are usually targeted in phishing scams.
10. Germany
Germany is one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world. Cybercrime is expanding on a rapid scale in Germany. A vast majority of attacks are against individuals, companies, industry executives, and the government. The biggest trend that was driving the increase of cybercrime in Germany was the filed of ‘cybercrime as a service.’ Many hackers are offering malicious software and hacking services on the hidden part of the world wide web.
Conclusion
Cybercrime is an ongoing threat, and it is important to protect ourselves from the same. To know more about cybersecurity, check out Global Tech Council.