WannaCry, the global malware attack that targeted public health bodies and private
businesses (among others), should remind us that the internet might be the perfect modern conduit for communication and commerce, but it is definitely not without its risks.
It’s also evident that the internet is not a level playing field, with some countries proving more vulnerable to attack than others.
This data-visualization graphic compiled by Comparitech highlights the disparity between countries when it comes to ranking how cyber-safe they are, along with which parts of the world are more likely to be attacked with ransomware.
The fact that the United States recorded a much lower incidence level of ransomware attacks compared to India, for example, is interesting to note. It is also worth reiterating that there is never any room for complacency, no matter how low the perceived threat or number of incidents happens to be. That fact was highlighted by the recent global cyberattack, which included, for example, FedEx among the victims.
The data-visualization graphic also highlights cybersecurity trends, such as pointing out that the US is the most targeted country for web-application attacks, by a considerable margin.
If you are an internet user in China or Iran, for instance, you will find your browsing experience to be highly restrictive. But if you are surfing the web in a country like Iceland or Canada, to name a couple, you enjoy almost unrestricted access to whatever you want to view on the web.
Take a look at the rankings below and see how at-risk or restricted you are compared to your global peers.
Richard Patterson is director at Comparitech.
