With the help of independent research firm Sperling’s BestPlaces, has exposed the Canada’s most riskiest cities for cybercrime.
Surprisingly the small town of Burlington, Ont. was the worst place for online cybercrime, according to the study.
Once known for being Canada’s biggest town, Burlington ranked No. 1 because of its consumer expenditures on computer hardware and software, and Internet access.
Bert Sperling, founder and researcher of Sperling’s BestPlaces, said despite people’s familiarity with technology and the Internet, this study shows that everyone is exposed to a certain level of risk when they are online. No matter where you live – be it Burlington or Longueuil, Que. – it’s important to be vigilant in everyday online behavior in order to protect yourself against cybercrime of all types.
Major cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver did not crack the top three. Lynn Hargrove, Director, Consumer Solutions, Symantec Canada, said this study is a real eye-opener, demonstrating that larger urban centres, such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, which have a diverse mix of high and low income communities, don’t necessarily have the same level of Internet access as do wealthier suburbs like Burlington, Oakville and Kelowna. Residents in areas with more access to computers, the Internet and WiFi hotspots will go online more often to shop, bank and communicate with family and friends, making them greater targets for cybercriminals.
The top 10 riskiest online cities in Canada are:
1. Burlington, Ont.
2. Port Coquitlam, B.C.
3. Langley, B.C.
4. Vancouver, B.C.
5. Calgary, Alta.
6. Oakville, Ont.
7. Markham, Ont.
8. Toronto, Ont.
9. Kelowna, B.C.
10. Kitchener, Ont.
Meanwhile, Canadian cities compared well to other urban centres in North America.
Seattle is the most dangerous city in the U.S. when it comes to cybercrime, Symantec said.
The Northwest sported two of the top 10, with Portland, Ore., ranked No. 10 in the list of the nation’s 50 largest metro areas. Rounding out the first five were Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Raleigh, N.C. Atlanta, Minneapolis, Denver, and Austin, Texas completed the top 10.
At the bottom, as in least dangerous, were Detroit (No. 50); El Paso, Texas (No. 49); and Memphis, Tenn. (No. 48).
“I look at it like driving a car,” said Dan Nadir, the director of product management for Symantec. “Your risk of an accident is going to be greater the more you drive. If you’re online more, you need to be more cautious, just like the more you’re on the road, the more you should wear your seatbelt, have airbags and rotate your tires.”
Sperling’s BestPlaces came up with the rankings by relying on data from the former’s security response team for factors including the number of malicious attacks, infected machines and spam-spewing zombies per capita. Sperling’s contributed data on the prevalence of computer ownership, Internet use and potentially-risky online activities, including online banking and online shopping. Also factored into the rankings was the number of free WiFi hotspots per capita.
With files from Greg Keiser of IDG News Service.