New research ranks Russia, Ukraine, and China as the top three countries where cybercrime is most prevalent.
After three years of study, researchers from Oxford University and UNSW Canberra released the World Cybercrime Index in Plos One.
According to the index, the countries of Russia, Ukraine, China, the United States, and Nigeria posed the most significant cybercrime threats. Ranked eighth was the United Kingdom, just below North Korea.
Based on the data collected, the researchers ranked countries according to their cybercriminals’ impact, professionalism, and technical skills. They surveyed nearly 100 experts from across the globe and asked them to name the most important causes of the five primary forms of cybercrime.
Dr. Miranda Bruce, who was also a co-author of the paper, said that the findings would help cybersecurity authorities zero in on significant cybercrime hotspots, allowing them to allocate resources better.
She expressed her hope that the index’s underlying study would assist in the battle against the increasing danger of profit-driven cybercrime and help uncover cybercriminals’ identities.
The geographical scope of cybercrime and how certain nations excel at various forms of cybercrime are now well understood. If data continues to be collected, it is feasible to intervene early in nations at risk of cybercrime before a significant issue arises; they can track the appearance of any new hotspots.
According to associate professor Jonathan Lusthaus, a fellow co-author, the index has the potential to illuminate activities that are otherwise difficult to detect.
Cybercriminals are challenging to reach and poll with any degree of accuracy since their actions are illegal and anonymous.
Because fraudsters exploit global internet infrastructure to reroute their attacks, you will also fail if you try to use technical data to map their location. Surveying those who monitor these individuals is the most excellent way to understand their actual whereabouts.
The study’s authors have stated their intention to broaden its scope to determine if factors like corruption levels, GDP, and education levels influence the quantity of cybercrime emanating from a country.
